(she/her)
My work as a therapist is guided by my reverence for the human experience and informed by my many years in personal psychotherapy. I believe that there is a profundity to our lives and the details that craft them, monumental and minute. It can get overwhelming to continually carry the resounding weight of a life’s worth of experiences, particularly your fears, anxieties, losses, and pains. It is completely normal for you to want or need support as you contend with your most persisting journey, no matter how this need is coming up for you; if therapy has taught me anything, it’s that there can be immense restorative power in having someone bear witness to your intricate nature and experiences - or, in other words - to be seen, understood, and valued by someone who is willing to carry the weight of that knowledge with you.
I understand that therapy’s appearance, substance, and purpose depend on your evolving context and needs. I also believe that everyday processing can be just as substantial and sustaining as long-term work that dives deeply into your concerns, and accept that therapy often necessitates a fluctuating balance between the two. The anxieties keeping you up at night, painful memories from the past, unexpected changes, and your current favorite song all have their place in the therapeutic space. As a result, my approach to therapy is varied and flexible, though I have an affinity for psychodynamic theory, which seeks to explore and process the connections between your past and present experiences to promote self-compassion, healing, and intentional change. Drawing knowledge and tools from several schools of thought, I work with you to form a path forward that is most comfortable and constructive to your progress. I am very encouraging of authenticity from all participants in the therapeutic space. I want to connect with you in a way that allows you to be human. I invite laughter, pain, love, uncertainty, and so on into the room, and welcome honest discussions of the therapeutic process and our relationship so we can make adjustments as needed. If I am not getting it, you can tell me! I embrace the idea that therapy is in service of your well-being and trust in your self-expertise, resilience, and capacity for hope and change. Therapy and my support are to help you get in touch with those traits and develop the tools and self-knowledge to act on them more consistently.
I find inimitable meaning in this work and feel impelled to appreciate your trust in sharing your experiences. There is strength in choosing to be vulnerable, not just with another, but with yourself. Whether this is a first foray or a familiar return to therapy, I would be honored to have the chance to participate in this work with you. Together, we can make the weight easier to bear and life’s charms easier to grasp.
Have you started to feel exhausted by painful memories, uncertainty about the future, conflict with friends and family that don’t seem to understand, and a nagging feeling that something has gone wrong? Are you feeling less and less like yourself and more and more alone? Does it feel harder than ever to go day to day with no relief in sight? Are you fearing you might always feel this way? It’s natural to feel overwhelmed as you learn to navigate difficult and unfamiliar experiences. It can be hard to trust that positive change is still possible, but if you are here, looking for support, you are closer to relief than you think! You can understand yourself and your struggles, become secure in your identity and capabilities, discover more control and freedom, and develop hope, direction, and joy - and you don’t have to do it alone. I am committed to carrying the weight of all your sorrows, triumphs, tears, and laughter with you as we explore your past, present, and path forward.
Psychodynamic
Psychodynamic theory seeks to explore and process the connections between your past and present experiences to promote self-compassion, healing, and intentional change.
Attachment-based
The connections we form with others often impact our sense of self and internal world; being able to unpack our relational dynamics and develop healthy relational skills can support us develop a great sense of emotional security.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
We all need practical skills to cope and challenge our self-defeating thought patterns! CBT helps us develop skills and a solid toolbox to cope so we can also dedicate time to processing and healing from the roots of our struggles.
Psychoanalytic
I think it's important to take ourselves seriously! Psychoanalytic theory encourages us to see our experiences and thought processes as meaningful, and to honor how we consciously and unconsciously view ourselves and the world around us.
Trauma Informed Care
To me, trauma-informed care means making space for the gravity of our lived experiences and developing empathy for ourselves and our emotional wounds of all depths and ages.