Christine Finucane (She/her/hers)

Mindfulness-based

Bringing mindful presence to areas of challenge and pain is an important part of my approach to therapy regardless of what the problem area is. We are taught that escape is the best way to cope with problems in this country/culture. Self-medicating via substances, food, sex, internet, shopping, etc. is broadcast to us on many different media platforms. Mindfulness is just the opposite. It is learning how to bring compassionate presence to our pain vs suffering.

Somatic Therapy (Body Centered)

Similar to mindfulness, Somatic therapy, also known as Somatic Experiencing, is a body focused approach to healing. Research has shown that unresolved trauma is energy that is stored in our body. Learning to befriend our bodies and to notice when we are caught in a traumatic reaction in our nervous system such as fight, flight, freeze is the first step to healing. Please see my website for more information.

Addiction Therapy

I believe there are many approaches to healing addiction. The disease model is one of the most prevalent models for understanding addiction. There are helpful components of this model such as issues of control centered around the object of addiction and the thinking that accompanies this. Addiction can also be a response to unprocessed trauma. Developing a mindful approach to treating addiction allows for a different relationship with it. Change is possible when we learn to live in the present.

Brainspotting

I have completed phase 1 of brainspotting and will be taking phase 2 soon. I use brainspotting in conjunction with other forms of therapy to help with repressed traumatic memories. Working with the eyes, places where we may unconsciously gaze to help process emotional material can help to bring repressed memories into awareness and allow them to release. Please see David Grand's work for more information.

Motivational Interviewing

I believe in meeting people where they are in the process of change. Sometimes we can feel "stuck" in the change process and are not sure how to move forward. Motivation Interviewing offers support to the change process itself identifying areas we may feel stuck, barriers to change and examining all areas of the change process including resistance to change and fear about change. This focus can then allow people to move forward if that is what they truly want to do.

PTSD

Working with people who have experienced traumatic events and helping with their healing process is one of my greatest passions. I work with all kids of trauma, early childhood trauma or complex trauma as it is known and adult onset trauma. Trauma is the result of the nervous system being overwhelmed and incapable of processing the trauma at the time of the event. Working with the body and nervous system to recognize and allow for completion and release of the stored trauma is the healing.

Alcohol Abuse and Alcohol Dependence

I have been working in the field of substance use related disorders or addictions for over 30 years. All addictions have some characteristics in common. Addiction is a neuropathway in the brain that impacts thinking and behavior. Control is another component of addiction. We all want to be in control and not being in control is very challenging. Addiction can also be a coping strategy for dealing with unresolved trauma. Developing trust and self-compassion is an important part of healing.

Loss or Grief

Loss is a natural part of our life cycle yet we are not taught healthy methods of coping. Elizabeth Kubler Ross's stages of grief have helped us learn about grief as a process not just an event. Grief becomes complicated when there are previous unresolved, often in childhood, death and other losses. My work is to help people heal from all their losses, to develop recognition of the emotional pain and a compassionate presence towards oneself and towards one's pain.

Codependency

Codependency has become a catchall term and has somewhat lost its meaning. It often involves caretaking of others, often family members, and this pattern often originates in childhood. Control is another issue often present for those in codependent relationships. I work with people to identify their own needs and desires, to establish healthy boundaries in their relationships which can then allow freedom to attend to their unmet needs and desires and ultimately to healing and freedom.

Chronic Pain or Illness

Physical pain is almost always accompanied by emotional pain. Attending to them both is essential for healing. The ACE study (Adverse Childhood Experiences) shows a strong correlation between childhood trauma and the later development of chronic health conditions. My approach is to bring mindful presence to areas in the body where trauma and stress is stored. This mindful presence can also allow for the release of physical pain.