(she/her)
Are you a teenager, college kid, or young adult who is interested in therapy? Great, that's my thing! I work exclusively with young adults, from high schoolers to 20-somethings. Working with this unique age group is more than a job to me; it is both a calling and my greatest honor. I am immensely proud to be considered a safe, non-judgmental adult for many young people.
Our first session will always be an intake appointment where we'll have the opportunity to discuss your psychosocial history, current symptoms, and goals for therapy. Don't worry about not knowing where to start; I have an intake form that we can talk through together to help me learn more about you. The overall purpose of an intake is to paint the big picture, not finalize the details and shading. I will also share a bit about myself and my background so that you don't feel like you're talking to a literal stranger!
I like to take an integrative approach to therapy. I pull from several different therapeutic approaches and integrate them into your personal treatment. There is no such thing as one-size-fits-all in therapy, so I tailor our sessions based on what you need that week. My go-to's include: CBT, DBT, humanistic, compassion-focused, somatic, solution-focused, strengths-based, and feminist therapies ... with a sprinkle of the arts like music, dance, or art therapy.
My ideal clients are the girls, the gays, and the theys (also anyone who isn't harshly judging my eyebrows in that headshot; sorry it's microblading that I haven't had touched up since 2020). I am a loud ally for marginalized groups and I do not play well with conservatives. My clients are roughly ages 15-25 (give or take a couple years on either end). Some common themes in my work include: managing anxiety, stress, depression, and/or general feelings of overwhelm and dread that come from living in our current world; adjusting to changes or transitions such as graduating, moving, starting a new job; navigating relationships with family, friends, romantic partners, peers, and co-workers; taking care of our bodies through healthy nutrition, sleep, and self-expression practices; living with chronic illness or invisible disabilities; building confidence, self-esteem, and self-advocacy skills; women's issues and dismantling the patriarchy.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
CBT is an amazing tool for anyone at any age. The main idea of CBT is that our thoughts directly impact our feelings, and our feelings directly impact how we act or what we do. If we can change our thoughts, we can change our feelings, and thus we can change our behavior. CBT helps us recognize unhelpful patterns in our thinking that often contribute to chronic feelings of anxiety, frustration, anger, and depression. Here's an example: say you're transferring to a new college and you're having thoughts such "what if I don't make friends??" --> those thoughts lead you to feel anxious and sick to your stomach --> those feelings make you cry, panic, and have trouble completing basic tasks like eating and going to class. CBT teaches us to recognize that: our initial thoughts (no friends, so alone) are assumptions based in anxiety and self-consciousness. With CBT skills, you can reframe your initial thoughts into ones that are more realistic and fair to yourself, such as "I have made friends before many times, I will make them again." Those reframed thoughts now allow you to approach your transfer with more confidence, and a level of anxiety that is much more manageable and appropriate for the situation.
Strength-Based
No matter their flaws, every single person has a particular set of skills (help somebody pls get my reference) that they are innately gifted with. Also, many people have consciously taken the time and effort to develop different strengths and interests. Strengths-Based Therapy (SBT) tells us to work smarter not harder by utilizing the strengths we already have. SBT involves exploring our strengths/resources, identifying which ones are well-established (or almost there), celebrating them, and using them to our advantage. You like to play basketball and are seeking more interaction with people to combat your depression? Great, the township court by the library has pick-up games every Monday night. You used to love playing with Legos when you were little and are trying to find impactful self-care activities that don't involve putting cucumbers on your eyes? Cool, Target sells really cute Lego sets, they even have the new Wicked ones. Another neat aspect of SBT is reframing and capitalizing on your ~possibly not so desirable, but are still a big part of your personality~ traits. You have been referred to as "argumentative" and are looking for an extracurricular to boost your resume? Awesome, Mock Trial starts next month. I will always help you to recognize, reframe, and use what you've already got going for you because you deserve that...also I am extremely passionate about the work smarter not harder lifestyle.
Compassion Focused
I am constantly telling my clients that they need to treat themselves the way they would treat a loved one or dear friend. If a friend turned in a project late because they were overwhelmed or confused with the work, would you ever say to them "you're so lazy and irresponsible, you really need to get your act together?" ABSOLUTELY NOT. Most likely you'd say something along the lines of "I feel you, we have so much work this quarter" or maybe even "let me know if you need help next time." Compassion-Focused Therapy (CFT) is an approach that profoundly benefits those of us who are quick to self-shame and self-criticize. Some people tend to be unreasonably harsh and don't treat themselves with the same sense of love, patience, and understanding that they would give someone else. The overarching goal of CFT is to build a sense of compassion and understanding towards ourselves and others. I support my clients in recognizing and calling out their own internal hostility and insecurity, and replacing it with kindness and respect. Doing so helps clients to feel calm and safe in their own beings and bodies. Also practicing compassion towards others (instead of automatically interpreting their actions in a negative way) helps people experience less social anxiety, self-consciousness, frustration, and emotional dysregulation.