LCSW, 22 years of experience
New to Grow
With over 20 years of clinical experience, I have dedicated my career to walking alongside individuals through their healing and growth journeys, beginning as a child and adolescent therapist before expanding my practice to work with adolescents and adults. My approach is grounded in evidence-based modalities including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Mindfulness, Trauma-Focused CBT, Cognitive Processing Therapy, and my training as a Certified Clinical Trauma Specialist, always adapted to honor each client's unique story and strengths. I believe deeply in advocacy; both as something I practice on behalf of my clients and as a critical skill I help them develop for themselves, because sustainable wellness requires individuals to have the tools, voice, and confidence to advocate for their own needs. Beyond the therapy room, I extend this commitment to advocacy through my consulting work, partnering with organizations to build psychologically safe, inclusive, and equity-driven environments where all people can thrive.
Our first session is dedicated to you—your story, your experiences, and your goals. We'll begin with you sharing what brought you to therapy in your own words, while I conduct a comprehensive safety assessment to identify any known or unknown risks, because protecting your wellbeing throughout your healing journey is my priority. Together, we'll explore your life holistically, examining your strengths, challenges, relationships, and the patterns that have shaped your path, before collaboratively developing incremental therapy goals that feel achievable and meaningful. This initial session is about building our foundation and creating your roadmap forward rather than diving into therapeutic work, and we'll intentionally close with a grounding exercise to ensure you leave feeling centered and equipped to navigate the remainder of your day with confidence.
My greatest strengths are valuing the starting points for my clients, honoring each persons uniqueness, and nonjudgmental approach.
My ideal clients are individuals who are ready for honest dialogue and committed to their own growth; people who have already taken steps, however small, toward developing healthier coping strategies and recognize they deserve support in that journey. I am particularly passionate about working with executives, healthcare workers, first responders, women, and teens who are ready to strengthen their coping skills, reclaim their self-worth, and build lives aligned with their values and life goals. I also work with clients who have made significant progress in therapy but are seeking life coaching to maintain momentum, navigate transitions, or reach the next level of their personal or professional development. Whether you're just beginning to explore change or you're ready to build on the foundation you've already created, I'm here to partner with you in creating sustainable, meaningful transformation.
I meet my clients where you are, exploring how your thoughts, emotions, and behaviors interconnect in your daily life. Together, we take a holistic look at your current coping strategies and what you want to achieve. Then I use cognitive restructuring and behavioral exercises to identify and shift unhelpful thinking patterns. Through mindfulness practices and real-world exercises, we work together to help you build practical skills you can immediately apply to create meaningful change.
Starting with my client's experience of how trauma has impacted your beliefs about yourself, others, and the world, we work collaboratively to understand your whole story. Using evidence-based cognitive techniques, we will gently examine and challenge "stuck points", which are those beliefs that keep you from healing. I also integrate mindfulness to help you stay safely grounded in the present. Through written and verbal processing combined with practical exercises, we work toward reshaping trauma narratives into ones that support your resilience and life goals.
I begin by recognizing and honoring the strengths, resilience, and resources you already possess, understanding that you are the experts in your own life. We holistically assess how your existing coping skills serve you and identify areas where you want to grow, building on what's already working for you, rather than focusing solely on deficits. Through affirming your strengths and capabilities , as well as integrating practical strategies rooted in your own wisdom, we will work together to co-create solutions that feel authentic and sustainable.
I start by asking my client to envision their preferred future and identify times when pieces of that future are already happening, no matter how small. We take a holistic view of your life management goals and explore the coping strategies that have worked, then amplify those successes through scaling questions and concrete behavioral tasks. This future-oriented, strengths-based approach creates actionable steps you can implement immediately, building momentum toward the life you want to live.