Licensed to practice in California and accepts 10 insurances. Specializes in Trauma and PTSD, Sexual Abuse, Depression
(she/her)
New to Grow
I believe therapy works best when you feel genuinely understood—not just as a diagnosis or a list of symptoms, but as a whole person with your own experiences, relationships, strengths, and challenges. I’ve always been less interested in asking, “What’s wrong with this person?” and more interested in asking, “What have they been through, and how has that shaped the way they see themselves and the world?” I believe our experiences can influence the ways we cope, connect with others, and move through life, and that understanding those patterns can be an important part of creating meaningful change. My approach is warm, curious, and trauma-informed. I have particular experience working with trauma and interpersonal violence, including sexual abuse, sexual assault, domestic violence, neglect, and traumatic loss. I’ve also worked extensively with depression, anxiety, substance use, and the challenges that can come with major life transitions and different phases of life. While I draw from a variety of therapeutic approaches, I don’t believe therapy should feel like a one-size-fits-all process. I want to understand what you need, what feels helpful to you, and what you hope to get out of therapy. My goal is to create a space where you can be honest and feel accepted, while also gently challenging the patterns that may be getting in the way of the life or relationships you want. I know that reaching out for therapy can feel vulnerable, and I don’t take that step lightly. My hope is that our work together can help you better understand yourself, feel more grounded and connected, and move toward a life that feels more authentic and fulfilling.
Starting therapy can feel vulnerable, especially if you’ve never done it before. My hope is that your first session feels less like an evaluation and more like the beginning of a genuine conversation. You can expect a warm, calm, and nonjudgmental presence. I’ll be curious about what brings you to therapy and what you’re experiencing, while also respecting your pace and never pushing you to share more than you’re ready for. You don’t need to have the right words or know exactly what you need from therapy—we can figure that out together. My goal is for you to leave your first session feeling heard, understood, and a little more comfortable with the process. We’ll begin getting a sense of what’s been going on in your life, what you hope might change, and what would feel most helpful moving forward. Most importantly, I want you to feel that you can show up as yourself without fear of being judged.
One of the biggest strengths I bring to my sessions is genuine curiosity. I’m naturally interested in understanding people—their experiences, relationships, patterns, and the things that have shaped how they see themselves and the world. I try not to make assumptions about what someone needs, but instead stay curious and allow their individual story to guide our work together. I also bring a calm, grounded presence to my sessions, particularly when clients are navigating difficult or overwhelming experiences. My approach is trauma-informed and rooted in creating a space where clients feel respected, understood, and safe enough to be honest. At the same time, I value having practical, evidence-based tools to draw from. I believe therapy can be both deeply human and clinically grounded, and I try to balance genuine connection and understanding with interventions that can help clients create meaningful change.
I don’t necessarily have one “ideal” client, as I genuinely enjoy working with people from a variety of backgrounds and walks of life. I’m particularly drawn to working with adults who are trying to better understand how their past experiences may be influencing the way they cope, relate to others, and experience themselves today. Much of my experience has been with clients navigating trauma and its many ripple effects, including substance use, depression, anxiety, unhealthy or difficult relationships, and attachment wounds that can show up in relationships and patterns of behavior. I especially enjoy working with people who are curious about themselves and want to move beyond simply managing symptoms toward understanding where those patterns come from and creating meaningful change. You don’t need to have everything figured out—or even know exactly what you want to work on—to begin therapy. I’m happy to meet you wherever you are and work collaboratively to understand what’s happening, what you need, and where you’d like to go from there.
I use Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) to help clients understand how difficult or traumatic experiences may have shaped the way they see themselves, other people, and the world around them. After something painful happens, it’s common to develop beliefs that once helped us make sense of what happened but may no longer serve us. For example, someone may begin to feel that the world is not safe, that other people cannot be trusted, that they are somehow to blame for what happened, or that there is something wrong with them. Over time, these beliefs can contribute to anxiety, difficulty trusting others, low self-esteem, and persistent self-doubt. Together, we identify the beliefs that may have developed from these experiences and explore whether they are still serving you today. We then work on finding more balanced and compassionate ways of looking at yourself, your relationships, and the world. The process is practical and collaborative, with tangible strategies you can use to challenge these beliefs and begin responding to yourself and your experiences in a different way.
I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) to help clients build lives that feel meaningful and connected to what matters most to them, even when difficult thoughts and emotions are present. Part of this work is recognizing that pain, uncertainty, and difficult emotions are a natural part of being human. The goal isn’t to eliminate those experiences or wait until you feel better before you start living the life you want. Instead, we work toward making room for difficult feelings while learning how to keep them from dictating your choices or pulling you away from the things that matter to you. I also place a strong emphasis on our relationship with our thoughts. We can have a thought without believing it, acting on it, or treating it as a fact. Together, we practice noticing thoughts for what they are—thoughts—rather than automatically getting pulled into them. This can create more space to choose how you want to respond rather than feeling controlled by anxiety, self-criticism, fear, or other difficult internal experiences. Ultimately, ACT is about helping you clarify what matters to you and take meaningful steps toward it, while learning to make room for the parts of life that are uncomfortable but unavoidable.
I use a person-centered approach by leading with genuine curiosity, openness, and a nonjudgmental attitude. I don’t assume I know what someone needs or why they feel or behave the way they do. Instead, I want to understand their experience from their perspective. I believe clients are the experts on their own lives, so I let their experiences, needs, and goals help guide our work together. My role is to create a space where you feel comfortable being yourself, exploring what’s going on, and finding your own path forward.
I weave psychodynamic ideas into my work to help clients understand how their early experiences and relationships may have shaped the ways they connect with others today. Sometimes, we find ourselves repeating familiar patterns in relationships, even when those patterns are painful or no longer serving us. Together, we can slow those patterns down and explore where they may have come from, what feels familiar about them, and what keeps us returning to them. I believe that understanding these patterns can create the space to make different choices. Rather than judging ourselves for repeating something that hurts, we can become curious about why it feels familiar in the first place—and begin developing healthier ways of relating to ourselves and others.