My Therapeutic Approach Serving Princeton, Hopewell, Trenton, NJ & Surrounding Areas
My Therapeutic Approach
Psychotherapy, as I practice it, is grounded in careful attention, discernment, and a deep respect for the complexity of being human. My work is informed by years of Zen Buddhist practice, not as a doctrine or belief system, but as a discipline of presence and awareness.
Therapy becomes a space to examine how we live — how we relate to anxiety, depression, love, loss, illness, identity, and change. Rather than applying techniques to manage symptoms alone, we look directly at experience with honesty and steadiness.
This work supports clarity, authenticity, and the capacity to respond wisely to the circumstances of one’s life.
Buddhism and Psychotherapy Serving Princeton, Hopewell, Trenton, NJ & Surrounding Areas
Zen practice emphasizes awareness without judgment and the willingness to see clearly. In therapy, this translates into careful inquiry — noticing patterns of thought, emotional habits, and relational dynamics that shape how we experience ourselves and others.
There is no ideology to adopt and no spiritual framework imposed. Buddhist psychology informs the spirit of the work — presence, compassion, and discernment — while psychotherapy provides structure and depth for sustained personal change.
Working with Anxiety and Depression
Anxiety and depression are not treated here as problems to be eliminated as quickly as possible. They are approached as meaningful experiences that deserve attention.
Together, we examine:
- How anxiety operates in the body and mind
- What depression may be expressing beneath withdrawal or hopelessness
- The beliefs and expectations that intensify emotional suffering
- The relational or developmental factors contributing to distress
As awareness strengthens, reactions become less automatic. Clients often find greater steadiness, self-trust, and the ability to make deliberate choices rather than living in constant reaction.
Authenticity and the Pressure to Perform
Many individuals — particularly young adults and those in late adolescence — struggle with questions of identity, purpose, and belonging. Social expectations, academic pressure, family dynamics, and cultural narratives can obscure a person’s own voice.
A central part of this work involves exploring authenticity: Not self-indulgence, and not rebellion — but honest alignment with one’s values and lived experience.
Authenticity allows individuals to move from approval-seeking toward integrity, from confusion toward discernment.
Couples Therapy
Relationships often expose the patterns we cannot see on our own. In couples work, we look carefully at communication habits, unspoken expectations, emotional reactivity, and the ways partners protect themselves from vulnerability.
The aim is not to assign blame, but to cultivate awareness within the relationship itself. With increased clarity, couples can develop:
- More intentional communication
- Greater emotional steadiness during conflict
- Mutual understanding rooted in respect rather than defensiveness
This process supports both connection and individuality.
Illness, Loss, and Grief
Serious illness — whether one’s own or a loved one’s — can profoundly reshape identity and meaning. Grief may arise from death, diagnosis, life transitions, or the quiet loss of imagined futures.
Therapy offers a space where grief is neither rushed nor pathologized. Together we examine how loss is being carried, how fear or uncertainty may be constricting life, and how meaning can be rediscovered even amid difficulty. This work honors both vulnerability and resilience.
Young Adults and Late Adolescence
The transition into adulthood can be disorienting. Questions of direction, intimacy, independence, and self-definition often intensify during this stage of life.
For young adults, therapy provides:
- A space to examine identity without performance
- Support navigating anxiety and depressive symptoms
- Guidance in developing discernment and agency
- A thoughtful exploration of family, career, and relational dynamics
The goal is not to dictate direction, but to strengthen the capacity to choose one’s path with clarity.
Discernment, Not Dogma
There are no rigid techniques to adopt and no beliefs to inherit. The work values depth over quick fixes and inquiry over prescription.
Neither psychotherapy nor Buddhist practice is approached here as formula or ideology. What matters is discernment — the ability to question assumptions, recognize patterns, and respond wisely.
The Therapeutic Relationship
At the center of this work is the therapeutic relationship itself — grounded in attentiveness, steadiness, and mutual respect.
I do not position myself as an authority who defines meaning for you. Instead, we work collaboratively. Insight arises through dialogue, reflection, and lived experience. Change develops gradually, through sustained attention and honesty.
Who Tends to Benefit
This approach often resonates with:
- Individuals experiencing anxiety or depression
- Couples navigating conflict or transition
- Those facing illness or grief
- Young adults in periods of identity formation
- Individuals drawn to a reflective, depth-oriented process
- Those seeking psychotherapy informed by Buddhist psychology without dogma