Naomi Kirshner

I am a therapist because I believe that change is always possible, and that lapses, relapses, and getting stuck are not endings - they're signposts. They show us where the real work is, and where we can look to next to help you build the life you're actually after.

I have over a decade of experience working extensively with adults navigating complex trauma, anxiety, depression, and relationships. As well as psychotic and bipolar disorders, and substance use disorders; which experience has taught me often go hand-in-hand with each other. I believe that processing and managing the challenges that have disrupted your life starts with understanding what drives your behaviors, so that together, we can find healthier ways to cope with what life has thrown at you.

I've also worked extensively with parole, and I've witnessed firsthand the incredible stress that comes with it - navigating complex parole requirements, trying to find a job and a place to live when no one will hire or rent to you, and re-entering a world that changed dramatically while prison did nothing to prepare you for it. I also understand that the skills and routines that helped you survive inside - the people skills, the hypervigilance, the way you learned to move through the day - aren't going to work out here. I can help you build new ones that will.

The past shapes who we are, but change is always possible.

My approach to therapy is eclectic, open-minded, warm and very participatory - using what works for the client rather than trying to fit everyone into a specific mold. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR, a highly effective treatment for PTSD and trauma more generally) . I also use a person-centered therapy approach, helping clients come to their own understanding of their lives and how to make changes that they can live with. I am currently pursuing certification in both EMDR and DBT.

Our first session will be used to get to know each other better. I will give you the opportunity to ask me about my practice and therapeutic background, and we will also review your intake questionnaire and talk about what you think is important for me to know. I may ask you more assessment questions to get a baseline for understanding the impact issues such as depression, anxiety, or trauma may be having on your life. We will talk about how you want your life to be changed at the end of treatment, different ways to achieve that change, and a plan of action for the sessions.