LPC, 3 years of experience
New to Grow
When it comes to therapy, I practice from the perspective that the process of therapy is as much an art as it is a science. This means that while there are specific areas of experience or expertise I bring to the table, the course of treatment and our work together is going to be wholly unique to your story, your identity, and an ongoing imagination of the life you wish to live. By working together from a place of safety and empowerment, I am interested in exploring together what it means to heal and live a life that you will come to find meaningful.The collaboration that happens in the process of therapy I strive to cultivate a space that strikes an intentional balance between structured goal setting and an openness to , that what arises in therapy will always be worthy of our slowness and depth the slower we go, and therefore the deeper we go, the faster we may get to the heart of the core questions or issues that have been arising in you and brought you to therapy at this time. I am such an eager learner. I love that this role requires me to hold an open posture and acknowledge that I will be learning for the rest of my life. I am excited to partner with you and learn from your stories and perspectives as well. Outside of work, I am an avid seeker of beauty and moments of awe. I dabble in writing poetry, playing tabletop roleplaying games, creating meals with lots of color, and facilitating playful outdoor adventures. In this season, I am interested in continuing to connect with my ancestry, intersections of privilege, and learning how best we might find liberation, community, and wholeness together.
The first session is our opportunity to get to know one another. It’s unlike any other therapy session in that there will be a lot of information to review and go over, all to make sure we are a good match and that we are starting on the same page over the course of our work together. After our initial session, we’ll continue to refine a plan for treatment and begin to develop a rhythm of familiarity.
I believe my therapeutic approach emphasizes the importance of healing that comes from relationship, and the quality of care that comes from taking the time to hold and honor your story rather than bypass the process with a "quick fix". I have been told that my practice is warm, compassionate, insightful, depth-oriented, and is paried well with an array of structured approaches such as mindfulness, somatic-based, and trauma-informed tools. I hold a master’s degree in counseling psychology from the Seattle School of Theology & Psychology. I am licensed in the state of Oregon to practice professional counseling services and have over 10 years of experience working within various levels of care, including juvenile detention, inpatient residential treatment, and outpatient counseling centers for individual, group, and family therapy. I am passionate about internal, collective, and systemic opportunities for healing and change. I am trained in using EMDR and certified as a HeartMath Practitioner. I regularly attend trainings on cultural competencies, suicide risk prevention, ethics, and safe trauma processing.
Do you feel free to live out your values, your wants, your deepest heartfelt desires? Do you struggle to reconcile your identity, your status, or lack of opportunities with the life you actually dream of living? Many of us feel the constraints of living in the modern era along with the existential and practical toll this can have on our day to day lives. Many of us struggle to move beyond a past that haunts our story and limits us from a life of ease and freedom. I strive to be a provider who uses my position to empower others, advocate when systems do not serve us, and continuously learn/unlearn for the betterment of our collective liberation and growth as a community.I enjoy working individually with Adolescents (ages 12+) and Adults. I also have experience and comfort in working with those who are non-monogamous, LGBTQIA+, neurodivergent, religiously or spiritually-minded, and inclined to participate as political organizers or non-profit activists.
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing is an evidence-based method of treatment. I enjoy utilizing the structure and container of EMDR through a uniquely tailored approach to your specific struggles. EMDR works well for letting go of long-held beliefs, stuck patterns, and especially for lingering traumatic or stressful memories. EMDR is quite different from regular talk therapy and can possibly bring about distressing emotions during the session. EMDR benefits from your willingness to be patient and guided in the process, as well as open to wherever the process leads us.
I employ a comfortability in sitting with themes that are often difficult to name, explain, touch, or even look at. Sometimes therapy can be most effective and healing by just providing enough space to speak something aloud for the first time, and to then digest, process, and determine what meaning it has for us moving forward. Human beings are incredibly resilient in the face of suffering, so long as they have a grasp on their innermost values and meaning they hold in this life. Let’s take the time to be playfully curious about what it is you find meaningful.
As a Relational Psychodynamic therapist, I bring a depth of training that honors the beautiful complexities of the human psyche, as well as the belief that what arises in the therapy session is always worth being curious enough to sit with. More often than not, we'll stumble upon unconscious patterns, long held beliefs, past attachment wounds, and an internal wisdom that will likely arrive have transformative ripple effects on your life.