Services offered
Individual Therapy
Irene utilizes cognitive and mindfulness based therapies as well as shame resiliency techniques with individual clients. These methods are research driven and help clients to better understand themselves and their world, behave in accordance with their values, and build lives worth living. Irene can help resolve trauma or emotional distress, improve quality of life and self-esteem, navigate life transitions, and help find fulfillment in life.
Treatment begins with an assessment session. We would then discuss your goals for treatment and collaborate on how to move forward.
Sessions are weekly or bi-weekly.
EMDR Therapy
Irene is fully certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR). EMDR has been shown to neutralize traumatic or distressing symptoms in as little as five hours of treatment.
EMDR is a structured therapy that encourages the client to briefly focus on the trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation (typically eye movements), which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotions associated with the trauma memories. EMDR therapy is an extensively researched, effective psychotherapy method proven to help people recover from trauma and PTSD symptoms. Ongoing research supports positive clinical outcomes showing EMDR therapy as a helpful treatment for disorders such as anxiety, depression, OCD, chronic pain, addictions, and other distressing life experiences (About EMDR therapy. EMDR International Association. (2022, July 27). Retrieved October 8, 2022, from https://www.emdria.org/about-emdr-therapy/).
Sessions are weekly or bi-weekly.
Sex Therapy
There are many reasons for a person to seek sex therapy. People experiencing concerns about arousal, performance, or satisfaction are likely to seek sex therapy. Among these problems are decreased or increased desires for sexual intimacy, or in the case of a couple, mismatched or discrepant desire or interest in sexual intimacy. Both men and women can experience concerns about arousal; there are many causes and options for solving these problems. At any age, performance or lovemaking skills can be of concern, as well as concerns about orgasm and satisfaction or lack thereof.
Additionally, concerns about sexual trauma in one’s background, medical conditions that affect one’s sexuality, sexual pain disorders, concerns about gender identity or sexual orientation, and issues around sexual compulsivity or addiction are frequent concerns that people discuss with Irene.
The sex therapy process is very similar to that experienced with other mental health practitioners. Irene will meet with the person as an individual or with a couple where an extensive history of the concerns will be taken. Irene will note both the psychological and the physical components and will establish one or more diagnoses. After this, a treatment plan will be proposed, with the individual’s or couple’s involvement in its development. In some instances, the Irene may work closely with the person’s physician, nurse, or other therapist or counselor to establish causes and remedies for the problems.
Depending on the diagnosis, Irene will educate the person or couple about the issue and discuss possible options for change. This educational process may occur through suggested reading material, through watching educational audio-visual materials, through discussion with the therapist, through attending workshops, or all of these therapeutic processes. Sometimes having more information will allow the problem to resolve. Sometimes more specific or intensive therapy will be needed.
In no instances and under no circumstances will Irene observe a therapy client having sex nor engage in any kind of sexual activity with a therapy patient/client, whether in the office or in any location. To do so is a breach of ethics, and in some states and provinces is a crime.
Irene is kink-friendly and ethical non-monogamy friendly!
Relationship Therapy
Irene is one of the few Certified Gottman Method Therapists in Utah. The Gottman Method is a research-based approach that focuses on two goals: discontinuing negative communication patterns and destructive behaviors in relationships, while increasing warmth, closeness, relationship strengths, and loving bonds.
Treatment begins a four session assessment phase:
1st session: Session with both partners together.
2nd session: 45 minute session with partner one.
3rd session: 45 minute session with partner two.
4th session: Treatment planning session with both partners.Couples will also be asked to complete a “Relationship Checkup“ from the Gottman Institute, which will help guide our treatment together.
Irene is kink-friendly and ethical non-monogamy friendly!
Discernment Counseling
If you or your partner are considering divorce but are not completely sure that’s the best path, you are in a tough spot. And Discernment Counseling is designed for you. It’s a chance to slowdown, take a breath, and look at your options for your relationship.
Discernment Counseling is a new way of helping couples where one person is “leaning out” of the relationship—and not sure that regular couples counseling would help--and the other is "leaning in”—that is, interested in rebuilding the relationship. The counselor will help you decide whether to try to restore your relationship to health, move toward separation, or take a time-out and decide later.
The goal is for you to gain clarity and confidence about a direction, based on a deeper understanding of your relationship and its possibilities for the future; not to solve your relationship problems, but to see if they are solvable. You will each be treated with compassion and respect no matter how you are feeling about your relationship at the moment. No bad guys or good guys. You will come in as a couple but the most important work occurs in the one-to-one conversations with the counselor. Why? Because you are starting out in different places. The counselor respects your reasons for separation while trying to open up the possibility of restoring the relationship to health. The counselor emphasizes the importance of each of you seeing your own contributions to the problems and the possible solutions. This will be useful in future relationships even if this one ends.
Number of Sessions: A maximum of six counseling sessions. The first session is usually two hours and the subsequent are 90 minutes.