In our first session together, here's what you can expect

Our first session is a space for you to exhale, slow down, and simply show up as you are. We will begin by talking about what brought you to therapy, what you would like to work on, and what you hope to gain from the process. I will ask questions to learn more about your history, current challenges, and strengths, not to judge or label, but to better understand your story and how your experiences have shaped you. This is also your time to ask questions and get a sense of how I work. My goal is for you to leave the first session feeling heard, understood, and a bit lighter, even if we are just beginning to untangle what brought you here. Together, we will start building a collaborative plan that fits your goals and capacity. I will share tools, coping strategies, or small grounding exercises when helpful, but we will move at your pace. Therapy with me is a partnership. We will balance insight with practical tools, honoring both your lived experience and the way your brain and body uniquely respond to the world. You do not have to come prepared or have the right words. Just bring yourself. From there, we will begin the work of creating clarity, healing, and forward movement, one step at a time.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

One of my greatest strengths as a therapist is my ability to meet clients exactly where they are, without judgment, pressure, or expectation. I believe healing begins when people feel genuinely seen and respected as they are, not as they believe they should be. I bring a deeply compassionate, attuned presence into the therapy space, creating an environment where clients can show up honestly and safely. Many people arrive in therapy carrying shame, self doubt, or fear that they are too much or not enough. My role is to help create a space where those narratives can soften and where curiosity, self understanding, and growth can emerge. My therapeutic approach is eclectic and individualized, because no two people experience the world in the same way. I draw from Somatic Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, mindfulness based practices, Polyvagal Theory, nervous system focused interventions, and trauma informed care. Rather than applying a one size fits all model, I work collaboratively with clients to identify what feels supportive, accessible, and meaningful for them. Therapy is not about forcing change but about building insight, flexibility, and choice in a way that honors each person’s nervous system, history, and lived experience. Clients often share that they feel deeply seen, safe, and understood in our work together. Many describe therapy with me as a place where they can finally exhale, slow down, and explore what is happening beneath the surface. What stands out about my practice is the emphasis I place on transformation. While symptom relief is important, my work goes beyond managing distress. I help clients understand the patterns that have shaped them, reconnect with their inner strengths, and move toward lives that feel aligned with their values and identity. Therapy is not only about healing pain but about uncovering meaning, building resilience, and reconnecting with clarity and purpose. I take a neurodivergent affirming approach to working with ADHD, executive functioning challenges, emotional regulation difficulties, and autism related concerns. As a neurodivergent clinician, I bring both lived experience and clinical expertise into the room. I understand how traditional productivity expectations, social norms, and clinical frameworks often fail to account for different ways of thinking, processing, and being. My work focuses on helping clients unmask safely, reduce internalized shame, and build systems that work with their brain rather than against it. This includes practical strategies for attention, motivation, energy management, and emotional regulation that are realistic and sustainable. Nervous system education is a core component of my work. Drawing from Polyvagal Theory, I help clients understand how their brain and body respond to stress, threat, overwhelm, and demand. Many people blame themselves for reactions that are actually protective nervous system responses shaped by past experiences. When clients learn how their nervous system operates, self criticism often gives way to self compassion. Together, we explore ways to increase a sense of safety, flexibility, and regulation through both internal and external supports. An important strength of my practice is my intersectional and culturally responsive lens. I recognize that mental health does not exist in a vacuum. Identity, culture, race, gender, sexuality, ability, socioeconomic status, and systemic oppression all shape how people experience stress, trauma, and healing. I am mindful of power dynamics both inside and outside the therapy room, and I strive to create a space that honors each client’s lived experience. This includes acknowledging the impact of religious trauma, narcissistic abuse, discrimination, and chronic invalidation on mental health and identity development. I work with individuals navigating anxiety, OCD, trauma, addiction recovery, divorce, grief, burnout, chronic pain, and major life transitions. Many of my clients are high functioning on the outside but feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or exhausted internally. Others are rebuilding their lives after experiences that disrupted their sense of safety or self trust. My role is to help clients slow down, make sense of their experiences, and reconnect with their strengths in a way that feels grounded and empowering. Together, we focus on reducing shame and increasing self awareness. Shame often keeps people stuck in cycles of avoidance, perfectionism, or self punishment. Through gentle exploration and practical tools, we work to replace shame with understanding and self compassion. I help clients develop personalized coping strategies, routines, and boundaries that honor their energy levels, needs, and values. Progress is measured not by perfection but by increased flexibility, insight, and alignment with what matters most to the client. At the heart of my work is the belief that people do not need to be fixed. They need to be understood, supported, and given space to reconnect with their own wisdom. Therapy is a collaborative process rooted in respect, curiosity, and hope. My goal is to help clients move out of survival mode and into lives that feel more regulated, empowered, and authentic. Healing is not about becoming someone new, but about returning to who you already are with greater clarity, compassion, and choice.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

I am best positioned to serve neurodivergent adults, individuals living with chronic pain or autoimmune conditions, those navigating women’s health concerns, Veterans, healthcare providers, first responders, high performers, LGBTQIA+ individuals, trauma survivors, Women Veterans, survivors of Military Sexual Trauma, and individuals in recovery or life transition. Many of my clients carry the weight of complex trauma, burnout, chronic stress, addiction histories, or identity exploration and are seeking a space where they feel genuinely seen, safe, and understood. I work especially well with individuals who value a nonjudgmental, affirming, and intersectional approach and who may have felt overlooked or misunderstood in more traditional therapy settings. My ideal clients are thoughtful, self aware individuals who want to understand themselves more deeply and make meaningful change at their own pace. You may be navigating anxiety, ADHD, trauma, OCD, grief, substance use recovery, gambling related concerns, or major life transitions and want a space where you can show up fully without masking, explaining, or performing. Many of my clients appear capable and successful on the outside while feeling overwhelmed, disconnected, or exhausted internally. Therapy becomes a place where you can slow down, unmask, and reconnect with yourself without pressure to perform or justify your experience. I specialize in ADHD and neurodivergent affirming care because I believe neurodivergence is a natural variation of the human mind, not something to be fixed. As a neurodivergent clinician, I bring both lived experience and professional expertise to the work. I understand the challenges of navigating systems that were not built for our brains, as well as the creativity, resilience, and insight that often come with thinking differently. I offer a validating, nonpathologizing space where clients can safely unmask, explore identity, and grow in ways that feel authentic and sustainable. While traditional evidence based treatments can be helpful, many were not designed with neurodivergent or trauma impacted individuals in mind and can unintentionally reinforce shame or unrealistic expectations. My approach is integrative, flexible, trauma informed, and holistic. I blend structured methods with compassion, creativity, nervous system regulation, and whole person care. Therapy with me is collaborative and individualized. We focus on building a life that works with your brain and body rather than against them. My background includes extensive work in substance use treatment across inpatient and outpatient settings, including program leadership. I take a pro recovery approach that honors the connection between mind, body, and spirit, and supports multiple pathways to recovery including harm reduction, abstinence based recovery, and long term wellness. This includes work with gambling related concerns and behavioral addictions. For over a decade, I have also worked closely with active duty service members, Department of Defense employees, and Veterans, including those impacted by deployment stress, reintegration challenges, and military sexual trauma. I serve clients of all religious backgrounds as well as those who are spiritual, secular, questioning, or nonreligious. Therapy with me is a space where your beliefs, values, and worldview are respected and never imposed upon. Reaching out takes courage. Together, we work toward a life that feels more grounded, sustainable, and aligned with your values. I offer video and phone sessions, including evening and weekend availability.