New to Grow
Many people come to therapy feeling overwhelmed by anxiety, past experiences, or life stressors that makes it difficult to feel calm, confident and fully present in their lives. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist who works with adults experiencing anxiety, trauma, depression and challenges that can leave people feeling stuck, discouraged, and disconnected. Relationships might feel overly painful, or seem to start out great, but inevitably end with disappointment. People might feel they can't trust themselves, which can lead to hopelessness, despair and even depression. Some may have things sorted pretty well, but there's that one area that seems to poison the well and whatever you try, it just won't change. Whatever it might be, my approach is compassionate, collaborative, empowering and practical. I integrate trauma-informed modalities such as EMDR, DBT, Mindfulness and Somatic/body-based approaches to help my clients better understand their emotions, cope better and create meaningful change. I have helped people in community mental health, acute crisis and in private practice. Most recently, I worked on a DBT Team, helping people learn to heal from trauma, narcissistic and other abuse, and the characterological issues that can follow, and finally to restructure and rebuild their lives. I also welcome conversations about meaning, purpose and the spiritual dimensions of healing when that is important to the client.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
The first session is simply an opportunity for us to begin getting to know one another and to talk about what has brought you to therapy. My goal is to create a comfortable and respectful space where you can speak openly about what you’ve been feeling and experiencing. During our conversation, I will ask some questions to better understand your current concerns, your background, and what you hope might change through therapy. We may also review some aspects of your history so I can develop a clearer picture of what you've been experiencing and how best to support you. All of this helps us begin identifying what is most important to focus on as we move forward in therapy. You don't need to have everything figured out before you come to therapy - we can sort through things together. By the end of the session, we will usually have a clearer sense of your goals and how we might work together moving forward. You will be able to ask any questions and decide whether I am the right fit for your style.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
My strengths include the ability to integrate several approaches in a way that helps people address both the immediate challenges they are facing and the deeper experiences and aspects that may be influencing their lives. I combine practical tools with deeper healing approaches. Deeper work often involves weaving together modalities like CBT, DBT, EMDR, Mindfulness, and parts-based modalities such as Developmental Needs Meeting Strategies (DNMS) and Ego State Therapy. Using these trauma informed methods, I help clients gain insight into their inner dynamics, regulate emotions and process lingering memories that continue to shape their lives. For more immediate, everyday concerns, such as clarifying values or finding practical solutions, I provide a client-centered approach. I incorporate problem-solving therapy and solution-focused brief therapy, which are especially effective in these situations. I am comfortable working with individuals who experience very intense emotions, complex relationship patterns, attachment issues or long-standing personality dynamics that can sometimes make life and relationships feel chaotic and overwhelming.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
Many of the people I work with are thoughtful and self-reflective individuals who may be struggling with anxiety, Complex PTSD, depression, or patterns in their relationships and within themselves that feel impossible to change. They often sense that their current challenges may be connected to deeper experiences from the past and want to understand themselves more fully rather than simply manage symptoms. They might feel that brewing beneath the surface is this really awesome person just screaming to get out! For some people, this process may also include exploring Transpersonal questions of personal growth, meaning, or spirituality as part of their healing. I also have experience working with first responders and healthcare professionals who face high levels of stress, trauma exposure, and burnout. My trauma-informed approach helps clients process difficult experiences, strengthen resilience, and restore balance both personally and professionally. If you're feeling unsure whether therapy is right for you, that's completely okay-many people begin exactly there.
Anxiety
Life Transitions
Trauma and PTSD
Anger Management
Coping Skills
Depression
Woman
Adults (18 to 64)
Elders (65 and above)
California
Arlo
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
DBT was specifically developed for people who feel emotions very strongly - sometimes so strongly it's like they completely take over. If you've ever felt your feelings were running your life - whether in your reactions, choices or relationships - DBT gives you a way to get the reins back, in a real and supportive way. When emotions are out of our control, we can be in danger of recklessness, self-harm or even suicide. The first thing we address is your safety and we continue to stay focused on learning the skills to keep yourself safe. Dialectical means finding a balance between two things that seem opposite. In DBT, it's about both accepting who you are right now and also working to change what's hurting you. You'll need both for real healing. DBT won't give you the usual "just cheer up" advice. Instead, it acknowledges that how you feel is real and there's a reason behind it. From there, it gives you real tools to handle those feelings and make genuine changes.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is a practical framework for helping clients identify and shift patterns of negative thinking and behavior that contribute to anxiety, depression, and stress. I often integrate CBT tools with trauma-informed approaches, helping clients develop greater awareness of themselves. CBT is all about noticing those negative thought patterns that might be steering you into poor choices, feeling stuck and stressed. It's like realizing the stories you tell yourself can shape how you feel day-to-day. If you've ever felt like your mind goes on autopilot with worries, doubts or assumptions, CBT helps you catch those thoughts and rethink them in a way that works better for you. It's not about pretending everything's fine - it's about getting real with those mental habits and changing them step by step. CBT says, "hey, those thoughts you're having - they're powerful, but you can shift them!". And when you shift how you think, you start feeling better and acting in ways that fit who you want to be.
EMDR
EMDR is a trauma-informed therapy that helps clients process distressing or overwhelming experiences that continue to affect emotions, beliefs and daily life. This approach supports the brains's natural healing process, allowing difficult memories-from more recent stressors to earlier traumatic experiences-to be integrated so they no longer carry the same emotional intensity. In my practice, EMDR helps people reduce anxiety, resolve trauma-related patterns and find greater stability and resilience. Some say they prefer EMDR because it can work much faster than conventional methods and can reduce suffering dramatically.
Mindfulness-Based Therapy
Incorporating mindfulness-based practices can help clients develop greater awareness of their thoughts, emotions, and physical responses to stress. It helps one learn how to slow down and discover their own calm, sweet spot. Mindfulness also helps people to recognize how internal patterns influence interactions with others - including relationships at work, within families, and in everyday situations. As you become more aware of how your own internal landscape can affect your own environment and the people around you, you begin to make more informed choices, often experience greater life balance, create more fulfilling relationships and have an increased ability to move toward the kind of life you want to create. In my work, mindfulness is often integrated with trauma-informed and somatic approaches to help regulate the nervous system and support lasting emotional well-being.
Somatic
Somatic Experiencing (SE) and other body-based approaches help individuals recognize how feelings and emotions, trauma and past experiences are often stored and held in the body as well as the mind. By increasing awareness one's own physical sensations, nervous system responses, and patterns of tension and activation, you can better understand how these experiences contribute to anxiety, emotional distress, other mental health challenges and even physical illnesses. Individuals may also learn how to safely process and release trauma related tension held in the body - such as in energetic release. Somatic methods can be very helpful for Highly Sensitive Persons (HSPs) as well, as HSP's feel things especially intensely. SE provides the words and credibility to validate one's inner-experiences, for some, in a way not thought possible.