My passion is helping individuals transform people-pleasing and or perfectionist behaviors, cope with complex relationships, process trauma, build emotional resilience, strengthen self-esteem and develop healthier relationships. I have successfully treated many people who struggle with over-thinking, over-pleasing and over-functioning in relationships often putting others' needs and feelings above their own. I also have training in treating individuals who struggle in relationships with difficult personalities. My goal is to help people transform confusion, self-doubt and chaos to perspective, wisdom and growth. I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in CA and TN and a registered telehealth LMFT provider in Florida. In my 15+ years of experience, I’ve worked with children, teens, parents, couples, and individuals across a range of settings including public schools, non-profit community and county mental health services, as well as Kaiser Permanente Medical Group, where I have supported clients with concerns ranging from mild to severe, including crisis situations. I also have specialized training in EMDR which is a powerful tool for unlocking stored emotional experiences and the negative self-beliefs that can show up in everyday life and relationships.
The first step in therapy is creating a sense of trust and comfort, so you feel safe sharing personal and intimate parts of your life. I strive to offer an experience that is warm, open, nonjudgmental, and compassionate— a space that is all about you where you can feel truly seen, heard, and accepted. We will move at a pace that is comfortable for you because successful therapy is built on a strong therapeutic relationship and your sense of safety. When getting started, we’ll review your intake information and talk through what’s bringing you to therapy, along with your hopes and goals. From there, we’ll work collaboratively to create a personalized treatment plan with clear, achievable steps that support the changes you’re looking for. Together, with my guidance and your willingness to engage in the process of self-reflection and growth, we can help you create meaningful change.
I bring a genuine, warm, curious, and compassionate presence to my work, grounded in meaningful life experience and an understanding of how complex and challenging life can be. I have firsthand experience with complicated family dynamics, marriage, parenting, and personal loss, which allows me to meet you with empathy, openness, and without judgment. I’m not afraid of life’s messiness, and I’ll move at a pace that feels comfortable for you so you can begin to open up and feel safe. I am also open to your input and feedback as I understand that therapy is deeply collaborative work and very much relationship based. As trust develops, I take a supportive yet directive and solution-oriented approach to help foster meaningful growth and lasting change. I have a good sense of humor and positive outlook which also infuses my approach. As for treatment planning, I utilize a client-centered approach to therapy, tailoring methods to your unique needs and goals so I often draw from several modalities. Attachment theory and psychodynamic work however are at the core of my clinical approach as I deeply believe in the power of therapeutic healing that takes place in safe relationships and that genuine peace and security stem from the relationship we have with ourselves. To help clients manage unhelpful thought patterns and reduce emotional distress, I often incorporate Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) because it's a proven modality that can be quickly taught and implemented. For deeper trauma work, I use Attachment-Based EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), which is also evidence-based and can help process past experiences and associated beliefs that may be keeping you stuck.
While I treat a wide variety of concerns including grief, life transitions, anxiety and depression; I specialize working with adults struggling with identifying and expressing their feelings and setting boundaries. This may show up in your life and relationships in feelings of resentment, disproportionate anger, self-doubt, distrust, excessive guilt, low self-worth, over-thinking, excessive worry as well as people-pleasing, codependent or destructive behaviors. If your goal is to work through negative feelings, gain a greater sense of emotional control and peace, and to feel safer, more fulfilled and happier in relationships, I'd love to help. Together we can process old wounds, deepen your self-understanding, strengthen your emotional regulation skills, and build a more compassionate, loving and safe relationship with yourself and others.
Other specialties
I identify as
Attachment-based
Attachment styles are formed early in life and have a significant impact on how we view ourselves and the world. I work with attachment-based therapy to help clients understand their relationship style and how it affects their behaviors in relationships, including the one with themselves.
Trauma-Focused CBT
I use EMDR trauma therapy to help unlock trapped feelings in the body and deeply held beliefs. EMDR is an effective treatment for trauma as it helps release the stored experience, reframe harmful negative self-beliefs around the trauma, and open new pathways to help you react differently to present day triggers.
Psychodynamic
Psychodynamic therapy is used to help clients gain deeper insight into their thoughts, feeling and motivations that are often driving behavior but are not understood on a conscious level.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is an evidence-based practice that address the relationship between thoughts, feelings and behaviors. and provides very practical tools for changing them.