(she/her)
Welcome — I’m glad you’re here. Searching for a therapist is a meaningful first step, and I’m honored you’ve landed here. No matter your family structure, gender identity, sexual orientation, race, religion, or other aspects of your identity, you are welcome. While only you can decide if I feel like the right ally, I am committed to creating an inclusive, affirming, and justice-oriented space for all clients. I understand firsthand how difficult it can be to heal from burnout, body image and identity struggles, trauma, and long-term stress. Real change often requires deep reflection, intentional self-care, and sometimes big life shifts. It’s not easy—but it is possible. And you don’t have to do it alone. The idea that you should be able to “fix it yourself” is a myth rooted in stigma. We all need support sometimes. My approach has been described as refreshingly honest, compassionate, and direct—with a strong “BS detector” and a deep respect for your intuition. I work well with people who are ready to live differently and willing to make meaningful changes. Therapy with me is often deep—and also full of laughter.
Our first session will include a mix of practical and personal groundwork. We’ll start by reviewing a few logistical items—policies, consent forms, and other necessary “housekeeping” details. You’ll also have space to ask any questions you may have about my background, therapeutic approach, or anything else that feels important to you. From there, we’ll begin exploring what brought you in. I’ll follow up on your intake paperwork if I need more detail, and I’ll ask about what’s been happening recently that made you decide, “It’s time to talk to someone.” We’ll also look at what’s helped—or hasn’t helped—in the past, and start identifying your goals. What do you want your life to look like, and how does that differ from how things are now? Unless you immediately feel like we’re not the right match, I typically recommend attending at least two sessions before making a decision about moving forward. Sometimes it takes a little time to get a true sense of fit.
My Approach I’m an intuitive and highly sensitive clinician, which means I tend to tune in quickly to what’s happening beneath the surface. I’m skilled at helping clients connect the dots—working through the details to identify patterns, themes, and the bigger picture of what’s unfolding in their lives. While we’ll talk about difficult and often painful experiences, I believe humor has an important place in therapy. Laughter can be deeply healing, and I try to create space for both seriousness and lightness in our work. I bring a wide range of professional experience to the therapy room, including work in rape crisis response, child abuse prevention, hospice care, and hospital settings. These diverse roles have shaped my ability to hold complexity, respond to crisis, and meet clients with both compassion and clarity. As a Social Worker, my style is eclectic. I'm less worried about which modality we're using and more worried about connecting with you, learning what your lived experience is like, and providing insight. Techniques used vary session to session, based on your needs, in the moment.
You may be asking yourself... Will it ever get better? What’s wrong with me? Who am I, really? Was that abuse? Will I ever feel at home in my body? Why did my family hide this from me? Why can’t I move on? What now, now that I know the truth? I’ve worked so hard for so long—so when is it my turn to feel better? If any of these questions resonate, you’re not alone. Many of the people I work with carry heavy stories and deep exhaustion—emotional, physical, even spiritual. I specialize in supporting individuals navigating the aftermath of narcissistic abuse and intimate partner violence, religious trauma and separation from high-demand groups, disordered eating, fat stigma, burnout, and the impact of emotionally immature or unavailable parents. I also work with emerging therapists and people from traditionally marginalized communities, including BIPOC and LGBTQ+ clients. Many of my clients wrestle with shame, perfectionism, restriction, and histories of childhood or adult sexual abuse. As an adopted person who has been in reunion for over 25 years, I bring lived experience and professional expertise to work involving adoption, foster care, family secrets, orphanage experiences, and DNA discoveries. I often work with individuals processing multiple layers of loss, identity disruption, and trauma all at once—people who are tired, in every sense of the word, and ready for a new way forward.
Most of my clients have experienced trauma, even severe trauma, in their lifetime. That might be child abuse, neglect, sexual abuse, car accidents, homelessness, incarceration, leaving a cult-like or high demand group, engaging in combat, sexual assault, domestic violence, witnessing violence, or something else (sometimes more mild than these examples). All of our work together considers that trauma can influence how you experience the world around you as well as how you experience therapy
Many of my clients have experienced an attachment trauma in their lifetime, such as separation from their original family, incarceration of a loved one, or other examples. Especially adopted people and people who experienced foster care. We can rewire healthy attachment by modeling that in therapy, and through additional healthy relationships in your life.
Sometimes (not always) one of the challenges we face is how we think about things. CBT can help you change unhealthy ways of thinking and viewing things in your life, which can help you change your behavior. This does not mean toxic positivity, or 'good vibes only'! Especially when you can't control what's happening around you, sometimes all you can change is your response to it.
Racism, sexism, xenophobia, homophobia/heterosexism, ableism, transphobia, sizeism…are all real. The discrimination and oppression you face has a direct impact on your daily life and mental health. There isn't always a "solution". Therapy will not resolve, for example, racism, but for some it allows a place to vent, share, and process aggressions and oppression openly without gaslighting or immediate problem solving, solution focused interventions, or mindfulness tricks. Because you can’t just meditate or mindfulness your way out of it. Mental health care that doesn’t acknowledge the experiences and realities of oppression is not healthcare rooted in justice.
EMDR = Eye Motion Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy. The short version: EMDR can be used to process traumatic events, help your triggers be less extreme (and not so frequent) and help your brain be more present in the moment.