You might be at a turning point. Drained by work or the people around you, disconnected from whatever used to give things meaning, or trying to find your footing after a major life change. Maybe anxiety creeps in, thoughts get stuck on repeat, or there's a heaviness you can't quite shake. You've possibly built a life that looks fine from the outside but feels off in ways that are hard to name. And somewhere in there, you're wondering why you can't just feel better, because you're trying, and more of the same isn't working. These are the kinds of crossroads I help people navigate. I'm a Licensed Clinical Social Worker based in Sacramento, California, working with individuals facing personal and professional challenges and the kind of transitions that quietly reshape who you are. Years in community mental health, residential treatment, and crisis intervention gave me a grounding in supporting people through addiction recovery, trauma, and complex mental health struggles. Before that, I spent 15 years in the arts and culture world and the non-profit sector in Washington, D.C., which gave me a close-up view of the pressures, expectations, and burnout that people who give a lot of themselves often carry without much acknowledgment. All of it shapes how I understand what my clients are moving through, and what they're ready to put down.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
The first session is a chance to explore what's bringing you to therapy, get a sense of what feels most pressing, and start to clarify what you're hoping for. It's also simply a chance for us to get a feel for each other, my style, how I work, whether it feels like the right fit. There's no pressure to have all the answers before you arrive.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
Strengths are hard to self-assess, but here's what I aim to bring: whether you're looking for structure and focus or something more open-ended and exploratory, the work shapes itself around what you need. We'll adjust as you grow, so your effort leads somewhere meaningful.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
The clients I work best with aren't necessarily people who have it all figured out, but people who are done coasting and ready to actually engage with the work. If that sounds like you, the specific challenges are almost secondary. That said, common reasons people come to work with me include anxiety, low mood, sleep struggles, substance use, compulsive patterns like overworking, relationship conflict, major life transitions, and a general sense of being disconnected from what matters. I also have experience working with trauma, though my focus tends to be on the challenges described above rather than dedicated PTSD treatment. If any of this resonates, I'd love to hear from you. Feel free to reach out to schedule a first appointment.
Psychodynamic
Sometimes the roots of what we're struggling with aren't immediately obvious. Psychodynamic therapy goes deeper, exploring the unconscious patterns, unresolved experiences, and protective defenses we've built up over time that may be quietly shaping how we think, feel, and relate. It's slower, more exploratory work, but for many people, it's the approach that finally helps things make sense. Clients often describe this as “getting to the bottom of things.”
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Like it or not, our earliest relationships shape how we "do" relationships throughout our lives. Those patterns have a way of showing up in our closest connections, often when we least expect it. Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) helps couples and individuals identify the cycles of disconnection that can take hold, understand where they come from, and shift them toward greater closeness and security. If you find yourself stuck in the same arguments, feeling distant from the people you love, or struggling with anxiety, low self-worth, or a sense of disconnection, this approach can offer a way through.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to help you better understand your own thought patterns. If we can learn to recognize them, and eventually catch them in the moment, we can begin to loosen their grip on how you feel and how you respond to life's challenges.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I also draw on Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which is an approach centered on living in line with what truly matters to you. We work on building skills to step back from thoughts, tune into the present moment, and develop greater awareness of your own experience, freeing up energy to take meaningful action toward the people and things that matter most.