Licensed to practice in Georgia and accepts 11 insurances. Specializes in Anxiety, Depression, Trauma and PTSD and 8 more.
(she/her)
New to Grow
I have a heart for working with people as they find their way through difficult life transitions such as relationship challenges, work stressors, health issues, etc. When these core aspects of our lives change, we can feel confused, anxious, depressed, and unsure of our roles and identities. We grieve what we have lost and are uncertain of what lies ahead. Filtering out the noise of the outside world and listening to one's inner self helps you stay centered so you can make choices that align with your core values. As a certified EMDR therapist, I help people process trauma so they can stop feeling stuck and can move forward in their lives. I also use depth (Jungian) psychology to help people explore their inner worlds to reveal hidden fears, beliefs, shadow parts, dreams and creative impulses that lie under the surface of our conscious awareness. When brought to the light of consciousness, they can enrich our lives with insights and revelations that can help us realign with our core Self. I love working with those from minority groups who may not identify with the larger culture or fit into society’s categories, and are struggling with issues concerning identity, belonging, self-worth, cultural expectations and finding a sense of self in this complex and changing world. Therapy can help us find clarity and stability through change as we focus on what really matters.
Everyone has some strengths or resources they use to deal with the challenges and shifts in life. In our first therapy session, we will collaborate to identify the inner and outer resources that have carried you through life's ups and downs. We will outline your therapy goals, hopes and expectations. Then we will create a plan for meeting your goals in a way that helps you start to get your life back. We will use a structured approach to reinforce your strengths while you continue to learn new skills as we move forward.
I work with a combination of approaches that go deeper than talk therapy. If you are ready to find the innate wisdom and connection between your mind, body and your psyche in order to unearth your core Self, my approach to psychotherapy will appeal to you. When you know your true Self and understand your unconscious motives and beliefs, you are better able to identify what matters most in your life and move towards it with clarity and focus. You can then show up with integrity and presence in your life. As an immigrant, I empathize with those who seek a sense of home, belonging, identity and stability in our changing and complex world. I understand the cultural barriers and stigma surrounding mental health among immigrant communities. I have two decades of experience working with people from different cultures and walks of life, both as an educator and as a psychotherapist in private practice and in refugee and immigrant communities. My clinical focus incorporates cultural safety, trauma recovery and psychological exploration to help you reconnect with your creativity, your inspiration and your core values while retaining those parts of your identity and culture that serve you.
If you are ready to manage your anxiety, depression and challenging life transitions and reestablish your autonomy and strengths, start right here. Or maybe you have noticed that certain negative experiences you had in the past affect other areas of your current life, socially, emotionally or physically. If you haven’t fully processed traumatic experiences (such as early childhood neglect or abuse, community violence, sexual and racial trauma, natural catastrophes, career and relationship upheavals and health problems), you can feel stuck as you struggle to overcome their imprint in your life. When you have a professional guide and witness to walk with you as you process past traumas, it is possible to heal the past and envision inspiring possibilities for your future.
Traumatic life events can shatter our inner and outer sense of safety and security, changing the way our brains work and shifting how we see ourselves and the world around us. We may develop negative beliefs and patterns of behavior that make us feel stuck. Fortunately, our brains have a strong instinct to heal. This means that even after a devastating or traumatic experience, our brains can learn adaptive ways of functioning. EMDR helps us identify negative beliefs associated with traumatic events and deactivate the negative beliefs, images, emotions, and sensations associated with trauma. In this way, people can recover from traumas and access calm mental states. I am a certified EMDR therapist with EMDRIA (EMDR International Association).
Our thoughts influence our behavior and vice versa. CBT acknowledges the relationship between what we think and what we do. An exploration of your cognitive processes (e.g. thoughts, beliefs, memories, insights, assumptions, etc.) and the behaviors it shapes can help you appreciate and understand how specific patterns of thinking and acting impact your life, and whether or not they serve you. That information is important to making deliberate choices about what we put in our minds and how we show up in the world.
As mammals, we humans are wired for connection. The kind of attachment between a caregiver and an infant in those critical early years starting from birth set the stage for how a person will experience safety, connection, trust, intimacy and security with others later in life. These early attachment relationships influences how we see the world around us and how we relate to others at work, in our family, socially with peers and friends, and yes, particularly in our romantic relationships.
Nobody wakes up in the morning intending to repeat the same mistakes that didn't work for them yesterday and that keep them feeling stuck. So why do we find ourselves in old familiar and uncomfortable patterns that put us back in a hole, despite our best intentions? The good news is it's not just you, it's a human thing. And it can be addressed effectively. Jungian psychology is a depth psychology that helps people explore their inner worlds to reveal hidden fears, beliefs, shadow parts, dreams and impulses that sometimes lie under the surface of our conscious awareness. The unconscious is not "bad"; it should not be feared, but revered. It contains a treasure trove of rich data about ourselves, our patterns of thinking and behaving, our views of the world and ourselves, our creative impulses, and how we function best in both our inner and outer worlds. When brought to the light of consciousness, these elements of our psyche are instructive and can enrich our lives with insights and revelations that can help us make conscious choices that serve us.
Where in your body do you carry your stress, your joy, your sorrow? Ever noticed how when you are in your head a lot, your body tends to respond with discomfort, aches and pains? Or how stretching or walking after a stressful event helps you release tension and focus better? These are indicators of the natural connection between our minds and bodies. The mind and body cannot be separated, yet our world today keeps up constantly doing heady things: mentalizing, taking score, analyzing, comparing, arguing with ourselves. While these mental skills can help us move through life, we need to balance them with body-based approaches that acknowledge and honor our body's natural rhythms, preferences and needs.