Get to know me

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

Starting therapy is a brave and meaningful step. It’s normal to feel a mix of emotions before your first session—nervous, curious, hopeful, or unsure. You don’t need to prepare anything special or know exactly what to say. Simply showing up is enough. Settling In: If we’re meeting in person, you’ll have a few minutes to get comfortable in the space. If we’re meeting online, you’ll join through a secure video link. Either way, this is your time, and the space is designed to be safe, private, and supportive. Beginning Together: We’ll start with a few practical details, like how confidentiality works, session length, and scheduling. After that, we’ll focus on you—what brought you here, what you’ve been carrying, and what you hope therapy might give you. You don’t need to share your whole life story right away. Go at a pace that feels right. What We’ll Talk About: Some common topics in a first session include: What made you decide to reach out now What your daily life feels like Any patterns or struggles you’ve noticed Hopes, goals, or even just questions about therapy If you don’t have clear goals yet, that’s okay. Therapy can help you discover them. How It May Feel: Many people feel relief after their first session, simply from being heard. Others notice emotions coming up later—sadness, tiredness, or even a sense of hope. All of these reactions are normal. Healing begins by making space for whatever arises. Moving Forward: At the end of our first session, we’ll check in together: Does this feel like a good fit? What would you like our next step to be? We might set a regular meeting schedule or simply decide to meet again and continue exploring. Remember: Therapy is a process, not a quick fix. Your first session is just the beginning of building a relationship where you can feel safe, supported, and understood. Taking this step is an act of courage, and it opens the door to healing and growth.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

When someone considers starting therapy, they often wonder what it will be like to sit with a therapist week after week. Will they feel understood? Will they feel judged? Will therapy actually help? Previous clients have shared their experiences. Their words paint a picture of what therapy with me feels like and the kinds of changes they notice in themselves and their families. A Compassionate Presence: One of the things people mention most often is my compassionate approach. Therapy can feel intimidating, especially at the beginning, and compassion helps create an atmosphere of safety. Clients describe feeling seen, heard, and accepted exactly as they are. Compassion is more than being “nice” or “gentle.” It’s about meeting each person with deep respect for their lived experiences, including the parts that feel messy, complicated, or painful. It means slowing down when something feels overwhelming, offering kindness when shame shows up, and holding hope when clients can’t yet feel it for themselves. People often tell me that my compassion helps them lower their guard. They don’t have to perform or present a polished version of themselves. They can bring their anger, their grief, their exhaustion, or their fear into the room and trust that they will not be judged. This safety makes it possible to go deeper, to touch old wounds, and to begin the process of healing. Gentle Challenge and Honest Reflection: Alongside compassion, clients appreciate that I offer honest reflection and gentle challenge. Therapy is not about sugarcoating, but about truth spoken with care. People say they value that I can help them notice patterns—especially ones connected to old wounds—that they might not see on their own. For example, a parent may come in feeling frustrated by their child’s behavior. Together, we gently explore not only the child’s needs but also the parent’s triggers, stories, and inner child. Many clients have said this combination of compassion and honest reflection helps them shift from blame or guilt into understanding and growth. The Power of Somatic Awareness: Another part of my therapy style that people often appreciate is the somatic approach. Many clients are surprised by how much relief and insight comes from noticing what’s happening in their bodies. They may come in expecting only to talk, but they leave sessions with a new awareness of how their nervous system, breath, and posture carry old patterns of fear, shame, or tension. Clients have

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

Feeling Sad, Stuck, or Disconnected: The people I work best with are adults who find themselves at a crossroads—perhaps quietly carrying the weight of sadness, anxiety, or disconnection, but not always able to name exactly why. They might describe their experience as “going through the motions” or feeling as though life is heavier than it should be. On the outside, they may appear to be holding everything together—working, caring for loved ones, meeting responsibilities—but inside, they often feel depleted, misunderstood, or unfulfilled. Parenting and the Inner Child: Many of the adults I support are parents who long to show up with patience, warmth, and presence for their children, yet feel triggered or overwhelmed in moments of stress. They may recognize echoes of their own childhood surfacing in the way they parent. Sometimes they hear the voice of their own parents come out in anger, criticism, or withdrawal, even when they vowed they would “never do that.” Other times, they struggle with guilt for not being enough, or with deep uncertainty about what healthy parenting even looks like. For some, therapy begins with the acknowledgment that they are parenting two children at once: the child in front of them, and the child within themselves. This inner child may still long for care, reassurance, and unconditional love. Therapy offers a safe space to begin reparenting themselves with compassion. Healing Attachment Wounds: Attachment wounds often form the invisible thread running through the struggles of the adults I work with. Many describe childhoods where love was conditional, where emotional needs were dismissed, or where safety was inconsistent. Others may not recall specific moments of harm but notice patterns in adulthood: difficulty trusting others, fears of intimacy, persistent self-doubt, or an aching sense of being unworthy of love. These wounds often resurface in relationships—with partners, friends, and children—leaving them caught in cycles they desperately want to change but feel powerless to stop. Beginning with “I Don’t Know Why”: The people I see in therapy don’t need to come with all the answers. In fact, many begin by saying, “I just feel sad and I don’t know why.” This unexplained sadness may show up as low motivation, a quiet heaviness, or tears that surface without clear cause. Often, this sadness is the voice of their inner child, calling out for attention. Together, we learn how to listen to that voice, not as something t

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