LCSW, 10 years of experience
New to Grow
I became a therapist because I believe in the right to be fully human—messy, tender, wild, and whole. As a fat, queer person, I know what it’s like to live in a world that often tries to shrink, silence, or erase. Therapy, for me, is about reclaiming space: a space where you don’t have to apologize for who you are, how much you feel, or the story you carry. In our work together, I show up with warmth, humor, and deep care. I don’t see therapy as “fixing” people—I see it as co-creating a relationship where you can be curious, honest, and supported in exploring who you are becoming. My approach blends somatic awareness, relational depth, and gender-affirming care to help you reconnect with your body, identity, and inner wisdom.
Our first session is really about getting to know each other. I’ll invite you to share what feels important about your story, but there’s no rush and no need to have it all figured out. We’ll talk about what brought you here, what you’d like support with, and what feels most pressing right now. I’ll also share a bit about how I work and answer any questions you might have. Think of this first meeting as setting the stage—it’s about making sure you feel safe, understood, and supported. From there, we can start imagining together what healing and growth could look like for you.
I bring both professional skill and lived experience to my work. As a fat, queer therapist, I know firsthand what it means to navigate spaces that don’t always affirm who you are. My strength lies in creating a warm, affirming environment where you can be curious, messy, and human—while exploring grief, identity, and new ways of connecting with yourself and others.
My ideal clients are people who feel ready to look beneath the surface and explore the patterns shaping their lives. They may be grieving, questioning their identity, or carrying stories of trauma and shame that keep them feeling small or stuck. Many of the folks I work with are LGBTQ+, fat or body-diverse, neurodivergent, or otherwise navigating life in a world that doesn’t always affirm who they are. You don’t have to have the “right words” or a clear plan for therapy—just a willingness to show up as you are. If you’re curious about who you might become beyond old survival strategies, I’ll meet you with warmth, care, and respect for your autonomy as we explore that together.
I view therapy as a collaborative process where the relationship between therapist and client becomes a powerful tool for growth. A relational treatment method means that I pay close attention not only to what we talk about, but also to how we experience each other in the room. Patterns of trust, safety, vulnerability, or conflict often show up in therapy just as they do in the rest of life. By noticing these dynamics together, we can explore how past experiences shape current relationships—with others and with yourself—and begin to create new possibilities for connection and self-understanding. In practice, this means I emphasize openness, transparency, and genuine presence. I work to cultivate a therapeutic relationship where you can experiment with new ways of being—whether that’s expressing your needs, setting boundaries, or exploring emotions that may have felt unsafe elsewhere. The relational focus allows therapy to not just be a place where we talk about change, but a space where you actively experience it.
Our bodies hold stories and stress that words alone can’t always capture. A somatic approach helps us tune into sensations, breath, and movement as sources of insight. In our work, this might look like slowing down to notice tension in your body, grounding through breath, or practicing small strategies for regulation in the moment. The focus isn’t on getting it “perfect,” but on creating opportunities to experiment with what helps you feel more centered, safe, and connected to yourself. Over time, these practices can become tools you carry with you beyond our sessions.
At times, life brings us face-to-face with big questions—about meaning, purpose, freedom, or uncertainty. An existential approach creates space to explore these questions together, without rushing to easy answers. In practice, this might mean examining what gives your life a sense of direction, reflecting on choices and possibilities, or finding ways to live more fully and authentically in line with your values. Rather than avoiding life’s challenges, we use them as opportunities to discover resilience and meaning.
Your gender identity and expression are respected and celebrated in our work together. A gender-affirming approach means creating a space where you don’t have to explain, hide, or question your identity—it is recognized as valid and whole. In therapy, this might involve exploring how gender impacts your relationships, well-being, and sense of self, while also supporting you in navigating a world that may not always affirm who you are. My goal is to ensure therapy feels like a place where all parts of your identity are safe and supported.
Grief is often thought of only in relation to death, but I understand it much more broadly. We grieve in many ways—when relationships change or end, when we leave behind a version of ourselves, when life takes a different direction than we imagined, or when we lose a sense of safety, identity, or belonging. These experiences of loss can feel just as powerful and deserve care and recognition. In our work together, I create space for you to move at your own pace with grief. Sometimes this means honoring the depth of sadness or anger; other times it means noticing the small ways resilience and meaning begin to emerge. I don’t believe in “getting over it” or forcing closure—grief is not something to be fixed, but something to be lived with. My role is to walk alongside you, helping you make sense of your experience, integrate the loss into your story, and practice ways of carrying it with more ease and compassion.