(she/her)
New to Grow
I am a trauma-informed therapist who supports adults in reconnecting with themselves when life has felt overwhelming, demanding, or depleting for a long time. Many of the people I work with feel deeply, think deeply, and care deeply, and as a result, they may experience chronic stress, anxiety, burnout, emotional fatigue, or a sense of being disconnected from who they truly are. My approach to therapy is warm, collaborative, and grounded in compassion. I believe therapy works best when it feels human, relational, and supportive rather than clinical or judgmental. I aim to create a space where you feel safe to slow down, reflect, and explore what’s happening beneath the surface at a pace that feels right for you. I integrate somatic awareness, mindfulness, and evidence-based psychotherapy to help clients better understand their inner world and develop practical tools for everyday life. This means we may pay attention not only to thoughts and emotions, but also to how stress, patterns, and past experiences show up in the body. Together, we’ll work toward greater clarity, emotional regulation, self-trust, and resilience. I draw from integrative, trauma-informed, culturally responsive, and holistic frameworks, always tailoring therapy to your goals, strengths, values, and lived experience. I am especially mindful of working in a non-pathologizing way, supporting you without viewing you as broken or in need of fixing. I am based in Illinois and hold a Master of Social Work from Aurora University and a B.A. in Creative Writing and English from Southern New Hampshire University.
Your first session is an opportunity for us to begin building a foundation of safety, trust, and collaboration. My goal is for you to feel welcomed, respected, and supported, not pressured to share more than you’re ready to. During our first session, we’ll talk about what brought you to therapy and what you’re hoping to gain from our work together. I’ll ask questions to better understand your current concerns, relevant history, strengths, and supports. This conversation is guided by your comfort level, and you are always free to pause, ask questions, or redirect the conversation. I’ll also explain how I work therapeutically and answer any questions you may have about the therapy process. Together, we’ll begin identifying areas of focus and what might feel most helpful moving forward. While the first session includes some standard intake questions, I strive to keep it conversational and collaborative rather than rigid or clinical. You do not need to prepare anything specific for your first session. Some clients find it helpful to jot down a few thoughts beforehand, but it’s completely okay to arrive unsure of where to begin. We’ll take things one step at a time. Above all, the first session is about connection and orientation. My intention is for you to leave feeling heard, grounded, and with a clearer sense of whether this feels like a good therapeutic fit.
One of my greatest strengths as a therapist is my ability to create a calm, compassionate, and non-judgmental space where clients feel safe being themselves. I am deeply attuned to emotional nuance and value meeting clients exactly where they are, without rushing or imposing expectations. I am skilled at helping clients understand patterns—emotional, relational, cognitive, and somatic—and how those patterns developed as adaptive responses to life experiences. Rather than viewing symptoms as problems to eliminate, I work with clients to understand what those symptoms are communicating and how to respond with greater care and effectiveness. I also excel at integrating insight with practicality. Alongside reflection and emotional processing, I support clients in developing concrete tools for emotional regulation, communication, motivation, and daily functioning. This balance helps clients feel empowered not only in session, but in their everyday lives. My background and interests allow me to approach therapy with creativity, flexibility, and depth, while remaining grounded in evidence-based care. I am thoughtful, curious, and collaborative, and I value therapy as a shared process rather than a one-sided dynamic.
You might be someone who has spent a long time holding it all together. On the outside, things may look “fine,” but internally you feel overwhelmed, disconnected, or exhausted. I work with adults navigating trauma, burnout, neurodivergence, and life transitions. Many of my clients are insightful and self-aware, but feel stuck in patterns they can’t quite shift on their own. You may be seeking a space where you don’t have to explain everything, where your experiences are understood with nuance, and where healing can happen at a pace that feels respectful of your nervous system.
Integrative
I use an integrative, holistic approach that draws from multiple evidence-based modalities to meet each client’s unique needs. My work is trauma-informed, person-centered, and strengths-based, meaning therapy is guided by your goals, values, lived experience, and innate capacity for resilience rather than a one-size-fits-all model. I thoughtfully combine cognitive, behavioral, somatic, and mind–body approaches, while also drawing from Jungian-informed perspectives when helpful, to support insight, meaning-making, and integration. Attention is given not only to thoughts and emotions, but also to nervous system responses, patterns shaped by past experiences, and how stress is held in the body. This approach is especially supportive for clients navigating complex trauma, anxiety, mood concerns, ADHD/AuDHD, and long-standing patterns that don’t fit neatly into a single framework. Integrative therapy allows us to address emotional, cognitive, relational, and somatic aspects of healing while remaining flexible and responsive as your needs evolve over time. My role is to help you make sense of what you’re experiencing, strengthen self-awareness and regulation, and support meaningful, sustainable change—without pathologizing, rushing, or oversimplifying your experience.
Somatic
Somatic therapy focuses on the connection between the mind and body, recognizing that stress and trauma are often stored and expressed physically as well as emotionally. In my work, somatic therapy involves gently increasing awareness of bodily sensations, nervous system responses, and patterns of tension or activation. This approach is particularly effective for complex trauma, chronic stress, anxiety, and emotional dysregulation, especially when talk therapy alone hasn’t felt sufficient. We work at a pace that feels safe and grounded, using the body as a source of information rather than something to override or control. Somatic therapy helps clients build greater emotional regulation, presence, and self-trust by learning to listen to the body’s cues and respond with care.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
I integrate ACT-informed practices within a broader integrative and holistic framework to help clients develop psychological flexibility and a more compassionate relationship with their inner experience. ACT skills are used to support mindfulness, values-based living, and greater freedom from unhelpful thought patterns. Rather than trying to eliminate distress entirely, ACT-informed work helps clients learn how to notice thoughts and emotions without becoming overwhelmed or stuck in self-criticism. This approach is especially helpful for anxiety, depression, trauma-related symptoms, and ADHD/AuDHD support, particularly when overthinking or avoidance are present. Within an integrative framework, ACT skills are adapted to your nervous system and personal values, supporting meaningful action that aligns with who you are rather than who you feel pressured to be. The focus is on building resilience, self-trust, and a life that feels more authentic and sustainable.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I use DBT-informed strategies as part of an integrative, trauma-informed approach to support emotional regulation, distress tolerance, mindfulness, and interpersonal effectiveness. Rather than following a rigid DBT protocol, I incorporate DBT skills flexibly and collaboratively, based on what is most helpful for you in the moment. DBT-informed work is especially supportive for clients experiencing intense emotions, mood fluctuations, anxiety, trauma-related responses, or ADHD-related emotional challenges. We focus on building practical tools to navigate overwhelm, reduce reactivity, and respond to stress with greater steadiness and self-compassion. When used within an integrative framework, DBT skills are adapted to honor your nervous system, lived experience, and capacity. The goal is not to control emotions, but to understand them and develop effective ways to care for yourself during difficult moments.
Transpersonal
I use transpersonal therapy as a mind-body-spirit approach to help clients reconnect with lost or disconnected parts of themselves. I enjoy working with clients who are spiritually curious, intuitive, or connected to pagan, traditional, or nature-based practices, as well as those seeking greater meaning, alignment, and integration in their lives. I offer a space for clients who want to integrate spirituality into their healing in a way that feels authentic to them. I especially enjoy working with those who are spiritually curious, intuitive, or connected to pagan, traditional, or nature-based practices, as well as those seeking deeper meaning, alignment, and a sense of inner wholeness. This work may include exploring intuition, meaning, personal belief systems, and your relationship with nature or something larger than yourself, using transpersonal techniques such as mindfulness, guided imagery, somatic awareness, and depth-oriented exploration.