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

When we first meet, I will want to hear your story, including what has been hard, what you want for yourself, and what feels most important right now. Together, we will work on giving you tools to handle the stress of daily life while also healing old wounds that may still be weighing you down. Progress is not about being “perfect” but about feeling more grounded, less stuck, and able to move toward the life you want. I especially love working with people who are navigating anxiety, trauma, or life transitions and are ready to create real change.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

What often stands out about my therapeutic approach is that it is not focused on fixing you or getting rid of parts of your experience. Instead, therapy is a collaborative process where we work on changing your relationship with difficult thoughts, emotions, and memories so they have less power over your life. Using acceptance and commitment therapy, I help clients develop psychological flexibility so they can make room for discomfort while still moving toward what matters most to them. My work is grounded in a client-centered and compassion-focused stance. This means you are met with respect, curiosity, and warmth rather than judgment or pressure to move faster than you are ready for. Many clients tell me they feel deeply understood and less alone in their struggles, sometimes for the first time. Together, we pay attention to how self-criticism, shame, or old survival strategies developed for good reasons and how we can gently loosen their grip without blame. A trauma-focused lens shapes how I understand symptoms and patterns. Anxiety, emotional numbing, people pleasing, or feeling stuck are not treated as flaws, but as understandable responses to past experiences. Therapy is paced carefully, with an emphasis on safety, choice, and empowerment. Rather than reliving the past, we focus on building present moment awareness, emotional regulation, and a sense of internal stability so healing can unfold in a sustainable way. Clients often notice that therapy feels both validating and practical. Sessions include space to process emotions and make meaning of experiences, along with concrete tools for coping with anxiety, setting boundaries, tolerating uncertainty, and navigating relationships. Over time, many clients report feeling more grounded, more self trusting, and more able to make choices based on their values rather than fear or avoidance. Ultimately, what distinguishes my approach is the focus on helping you build a life that feels meaningful and aligned, not just one that feels less painful. Progress is measured not only by symptom relief, but by increased freedom, self-compassion, and engagement in the life you want to live.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

I am best positioned to serve clients who feel stuck, overwhelmed, or disconnected from themselves or their lives, even if on the outside they appear to be functioning well. Many of the people I work with are navigating anxiety, chronic stress, self-doubt, or the emotional aftermath of difficult relationships or life transitions. You may find that your mind is constantly busy with worry, self-criticism, or “what if” thoughts, or that you are avoiding situations, emotions, or conversations in order to feel safe. Therapy can be a space to slow down, understand these patterns with compassion, and learn new ways of responding that feel more aligned with who you want to be. I often work well with clients who are thoughtful, self-aware, and motivated to understand themselves more deeply, yet feel frustrated that insight alone has not led to lasting change. You may have spent a long time trying to fix yourself, push feelings away, or meet others’ expectations, only to feel exhausted or disconnected. My approach supports you in building psychological flexibility so that anxiety, sadness, or fear no longer run your life or dictate your choices. Clients who benefit from my approach are often those who want to live more intentionally and meaningfully, even in the presence of discomfort. You may be questioning what truly matters to you after a breakup, loss, career stress, or major life change. Together, we can clarify your values and use them as a guide for decision making, boundaries, and daily actions. Rather than waiting to feel better before living your life, therapy focuses on helping you move toward the life you want while making room for difficult internal experiences along the way. I also work with individuals who have experienced relational or developmental trauma, including emotionally unsafe family dynamics, chronic invalidation, or past experiences that continue to shape how you see yourself and others. You may struggle with trust, self-worth, people pleasing, or intense emotional reactions that feel hard to explain. Using trauma-focused and compassion-focused approaches, therapy can help you make sense of these patterns without blame and gently build a sense of safety, self-understanding, and emotional regulation. The goal is not to relive the past, but to reduce its grip on the present. This approach is often a good fit for clients who are tired of being harsh with themselves and are ready to cultivate a more compassionate inner voice. If you tend to ju