(she/her)
New to Grow
I am an LMHC therapist, public speaker, community organizer, social and environmental activist, and have been listening for decades. My Master of Clinical Psychotherapy, 2013 came from the University of North Florida. I experienced a Clinical Pastoral Education, in deep listening. I worked in the Talk program at Wounded the warriors talked; I listened. Trauma Supportive Therapy is used to safely address, as slowly as need be, the pain of the past that keeps coming to trip your defenses in the present at all the wrong moments. I can be that supporting presence who will help sort it out by listening, sincerely hearing you, reflecting the depth of your feelings back to you. I practice the therapy of defining personal meaning, so, together we will think about your options, planning, purpose, and goals for living a meaningful life without being afraid of tripping over your past or yourself. I practice person centered therapy by meeting you where you are. I strive to be culturally sensitive, non-prejudicial and use strength-based therapy as a jump point, truly believing I am the guide for you, but you are the treasures and wisdom keeper. Of all the reasons people come to therapy: anger, guilt, anxiety, changes, transitions, depression, trauma, jealousy, and “it is just not working anymore”, the extra burden of race and racism is more than just a nuance to be nodded at in therapy. I will view race as central to all the other pieces, when it is central to you. I am inclusive, secular, competent, affirming, and non-judgmental. I have worked with people in transition, people who are very much defined, “but things got complicated”, people in the communities of LGBTQA, Polyamory, Kink, non-gendered. Each are safe and welcome here.
It is a brave but potentially uncomfortable step to decide on therapy. You can expect confidentiality, empathy, respect. We will get to know one another. I will ask background questions about family configuration, your general health and medications, career, and discuss your strengths or where you get support in your life and how you create self-care. We will also look at where your life does not have enough support. We will look at what brought you to therapy such as recent events, feelings that aren't working for you, deep pain from early in life, communication issues or grief, Whatever area in your life that needs attention will receive it. We will decide collaboratively on one or two goals to start. Then we will plan your next appointment.
I help shape the conversation to encourage reevaluation of thought process or perceptions; successfully leading clients to epiphanies. I provide materials that aid in progress toward goals. I look for participation, learning, growth and do not talk about improvements as they imply something is broken. I am knowledgeable, professional, and caring. I offer tools and advice, checking in to make sure that they feel relevant & logical. A priority for me is creating a safe environment without judgement. I bring compassion & deep empathy by being an attentive listener. I am patient and intelligent. I quickly get to the heart of the matter and have a calm, yet direct, way of giving my assessment. I ask questions to encourage self-exploration deeper into the issue, I create an inviting environment making it easy to talk about difficult subjects.
Working with clients who are willing to understand that the counselor is not here to "fix" them. Clients ready to do the work involved in solving problems that are brought to therapy, who are ready to be open and vulnerable, Clients who value honesty and are ready to learn, experiment and explore. Clients who are willing to allow themselves to heal. Clients who can acknowledge that none of this is accomplished by them overnight. However, I am able to serve clients who only know they want change and need supportive counseling while they figure all of the above out at their own pace.
Gender-affirming therapy
I have been an ally of people of all expressions for multiple decades. This is about respecting all people. This is about making available all tools necessary for self-esteem, recovery from societally engendered trauma, and integration of family systems theory to enable living a holistic life.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
This method is used constantly to understand the connection and individual control we have between our thoughts and actions. I use it to illustrate the separation we can achieve between thoughts and actions, as well. This in particular helps to stop spiraling thoughts and also permits clearer logic sequences of thoughts for analytical decision making.
Couples Counseling
Any partnered person in therapy is actually in couples counseling. No one actually is being counseled in isolation from others in their life. Primarily, couples have gotten to an impasse due to being untrained in peaceful communication tools. Secondarily, couples need to reaffirm the need for healthy boundaries to truly learn to work seamlessly with each other.
Culturally Sensitive Therapy
I have been working with people from a wide variety of heritages, cultures, religions, family structures and strictures for 13 plus years. I understand that the client, in any setting, is the expert about themselves. So, while we explore and work on the needs that brings a person to counseling, I am flexible about learning and adapting to what matters most to them and the best approach to their goal attainments.
Strength-Based
I use this therapy particularly with people who are struggling with ADD/ADHD. We build from what is going well (or least badly) and develop skills from there to approach other areas of executive function that give the person more trouble in this modern society.