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

A session with me is paced, collaborative, and responsive to what your body and nervous system need that day. We move gently, without pressure to push through pain, fatigue, or overwhelm, and you always have choice around what we focus on. I pay close attention to how experiences land in your body, not just what you’re thinking or saying. Sessions often include a balance of grounding, reflection, and meaning-making, with room for emotions like grief, anger, or fear. If symptoms or overwhelm arise, we slow down and adjust rather than forcing progress. My goal is to create a space that feels steady, respectful, and supportive of your real, lived experience.

The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions

My therapeutic approach is grounded in trauma-informed, body-aware care, with a particular focus on the psychological and nervous-system impact of chronic illness and medical trauma. I work with adults whose bodies and lives have been shaped by ongoing illness, unpredictable symptoms, repeated medical stress, or experiences of being dismissed or harmed within healthcare systems. My work recognizes that many of the challenges clients face are not rooted in faulty thinking or lack of coping skills, but in long-term survival responses that once served an important purpose. At the foundation of my work is the belief that symptoms—whether emotional, cognitive, or physiological—are meaningful responses to lived experience. Anxiety, hypervigilance, shutdown, emotional exhaustion, or difficulty trusting one’s body are often signs of a nervous system that has adapted to ongoing threat, uncertainty, or loss of control. Rather than attempting to eliminate these responses quickly, therapy focuses on understanding them, reducing unnecessary suffering, and supporting the nervous system in finding greater safety and flexibility over time. My approach is collaborative and paced. Clients are not expected to tell their full story immediately, push through symptoms, or perform wellness in order to make progress. Instead, sessions are shaped by what feels tolerable and supportive in the moment. Choice, consent, and attunement are central, particularly for clients whose medical experiences involved loss of agency or bodily autonomy. Because chronic illness and medical trauma directly affect the body, my work extends beyond traditional talk therapy alone. I pay close attention to how experiences are held in the nervous system—how anxiety shows up physically, how dissociation or shutdown emerges, and how fear or overwhelm can be triggered by bodily sensations, medical environments, or uncertainty. Therapy often includes: Supporting nervous system regulation and stabilization Learning to recognize early signs of overwhelm or shutdown Gently increasing tolerance for internal sensations without forcing exposure Reducing fear-based responses to symptoms or bodily cues Creating a sense of safety that does not depend on symptom elimination This approach is especially important for clients whose anxiety is body-based rather than thought-based, and for whom cognitive strategies alone have felt insufficient or invalidating. Living with chronic illness often requires constant adaptation. Many clients arrive in therapy already highly skilled at coping, managing appointments, pacing activity, and advocating for themselves. Therapy is not about asking clients to cope harder. Instead, it focuses on the cumulative emotional and nervous-system impact of living in survival mode for an extended period of time. Common areas of focus include: Grief related to changes in identity, capacity, or life trajectory Anxiety around flare-ups, crashes, or medical uncertainty Loss of trust in one’s body or internal signals Emotional exhaustion from prolonged self-monitoring Shame or self-doubt resulting from dismissal or gaslighting Therapy provides space to process these experiences without minimizing them or reframing them prematurely. Over time, many clients report feeling less braced against their bodies, more emotionally present, and better able to navigate daily life with greater steadiness. Medical trauma often develops gradually, through repeated procedures, misdiagnoses, invasive treatments, or experiences of not being believed. For some clients, trauma responses are tied to specific events; for others, they are linked to cumulative exposure and loss of control over time. In medical trauma work, therapy prioritizes: Restoring a sense of choice and agency Processing experiences without retraumatization Reducing panic or shutdown related to medical care Supporting clients in navigating healthcare with less fear Addressing the emotional impact of bodily vulnerability Clients are never required to recount experiences in detail or relive traumatic events. Processing occurs at a pace that respects nervous-system capacity and physical limits, with frequent check-ins and flexibility. Methods and Interventions While my work is integrative, it is guided by trauma-informed principles rather than rigid protocols. Interventions are selected based on the client’s goals, capacity, and current state rather than a predetermined timeline. Methods may include: Trauma-informed talk therapy Somatic awareness and grounding practices Nervous-system regulation strategies Gentle exploration of patterns shaped by illness or trauma Meaning-making around loss, identity change, and adaptation Sessions often balance reflection and emotional processing with practical support, helping clients make sense of their experiences while also developing tools to navigate daily life more sustainably. Therapy is not focused on curing illness or eliminating all distress. Instead, results are often reflected in subtle but meaningful shifts in how clients relate to their bodies, emotions, and lives. Common outcomes include: Reduced anxiety and fear around symptoms Greater ability to notice bodily cues without panic Increased emotional capacity and flexibility Less reliance on constant vigilance or self-monitoring Improved ability to tolerate uncertainty A stronger sense of self-trust and self-compassion Many clients describe feeling more grounded, less reactive, and better able to engage in relationships, medical care, and daily activities without becoming overwhelmed. Therapy is most effective when it feels like a good fit. I work collaboratively with clients to regularly assess pacing, goals, and support needs. Some clients benefit from short-term focused work, while others engage in longer-term therapy as they navigate ongoing health challenges. Because chronic illness can be unpredictable, flexibility is built into the therapeutic process. Sessions may shift focus based on symptom flares, energy levels, or life circumstances, while maintaining consistency and structure to support progress. A Closing Perspective Living with chronic illness or medical trauma requires resilience, adaptability, and endurance. Therapy is not about fixing what is broken, but about supporting systems that have been under strain for a long time. My role is to offer a steady, respectful space where clients do not need to justify their limits or minimize their experiences, and where healing is understood as a gradual, collaborative process.

The clients I'm best positioned to serve

Ideal Clients for Chronic Illness and Medical Trauma Therapy My work is designed for adults whose lives have been shaped by chronic illness, ongoing health conditions, or medical experiences that left lasting emotional and nervous-system impact. Many of the people I work with are not new to adversity. They are thoughtful, self-aware, and resourceful — and they are often deeply tired. They come to therapy not because they are failing to cope, but because they have been coping for a very long time. Adults Living With Chronic Illness I work with adults who live with chronic illness, chronic pain, autoimmune conditions, fatigue-related illnesses, and other long-term or complex medical conditions. Many of my clients have spent years navigating symptoms that fluctuate, defy clear explanations, or do not respond predictably to treatment. Often, these clients are highly attuned to their bodies — sometimes out of necessity, sometimes to the point of exhaustion. They may feel caught between needing to monitor symptoms carefully and longing to stop constantly scanning for what might go wrong. Therapy becomes a place to explore that tension with care rather than judgment. My ideal clients often: Feel worn down by the ongoing effort of managing illness Struggle with uncertainty, unpredictability, or loss of control Experience grief related to changes in identity, capacity, or future plans Feel disconnected from their body or, at times, overly focused on it Carry a quiet sense of loss that doesn’t always have language They are not looking for someone to tell them to “stay positive” or “push through.” They are looking for a therapist who understands that chronic illness is not just a medical condition, but a lived reality that affects every part of life. Clients Impacted by Medical Trauma Many of my ideal clients have experienced medical trauma or healthcare-related stress that continues to shape how they feel in their bodies and how they approach care. For some, this trauma is linked to specific events — surgeries, hospitalizations, emergencies, or invasive procedures. For others, it has developed gradually through repeated dismissal, misdiagnosis, or loss of bodily autonomy. These clients may feel anxious, shut down, or panicked in medical settings. They may avoid care even when they know it’s necessary, or they may comply while feeling dissociated, numb, or powerless. Often, they struggle with trusting their own perceptions after years of being told that nothing is wrong. Ideal clients with medical trauma often: Feel heightened anxiety before or after medical appointments Experience panic, dissociation, or shutdown related to bodily sensations Struggle with self-doubt or shame after being dismissed or gaslit Feel torn between needing care and fearing it Carry anger or grief that has never been fully acknowledged They are not seeking exposure-based treatment that pushes them back into overwhelming experiences. They are seeking therapy that restores choice, agency, and safety at a pace their nervous system can tolerate. Clients Living in Long-Term Survival Mode Many of the people I work with live in a persistent state of survival. This survival mode may not look dramatic from the outside, but internally it can feel relentless. These clients often: Feel constantly “on edge” or braced Have difficulty relaxing or resting, even when exhausted Feel emotionally numb or shut down at times Struggle with anxiety that feels physical rather than cognitive Carry a sense that they must always be prepared for the next disruption Often, they have already tried many coping strategies. They are not resistant or unmotivated; they are simply overloaded. Therapy becomes a place to explore what survival has required of them, and whether parts of that strategy can soften without compromising safety. Thoughtful, Self-Aware Adults Seeking Depth My ideal clients tend to be reflective and curious about themselves, even if they feel stuck or overwhelmed. They may have previous therapy experience and know what has not worked for them. They value depth, nuance, and honesty over quick fixes. They are often drawn to therapy because they want: A deeper understanding of how illness and trauma have shaped them Support that respects complexity rather than simplifying it A collaborative relationship rather than a prescriptive one Space to explore emotions that have been set aside to survive They may be skeptical of therapy — not because they don’t believe in it, but because they have been misunderstood before. Building trust matters. Clients Who Value Pacing and Consent The people I work best with appreciate a therapy process that is paced and responsive rather than rushed. They value having choice about what is discussed, how quickly things move, and how their body’s signals are respected. Ideal clients are open to: Not having everything “figured out” right away Slowing down when their system signals overwhelm Paying attention to bodily responses without forcing change Letting therapy evolve rather than follow a rigid plan They understand that meaningful change often happens gradually, especially when the nervous system has been under strain for a long time. What My Ideal Clients Are Not Looking For This work may not be the best fit for people who are seeking: Advice-only or problem-solving-focused sessions Rapid symptom elimination without attention to context Therapy that dismisses physical realities A purely cognitive approach to anxiety or trauma Pressure to push through pain, fatigue, or overwhelm Therapy here is not about optimization or performance. It is about sustainability. A Shared Understanding At its core, my work is best suited for clients who want therapy that takes their lived experience seriously — who want to be met as whole people living in complex bodies, within imperfect systems. They are not broken. They are adaptive, resilient, and often carrying far more than they let on. Therapy offers a place where survival does not have to be explained or justified, and where healing is understood not as fixing, but as supporting systems that have been under strain for a very long time.