LCSW, 30 years of experience
New to Grow
I am a licensed clinical social worker with 32 years of experience supporting people in a variety of settings, including hospitals, outpatient behavioral health clinics, and schools. I also have a background in policy and research. I bring both professional training and lived experience to my work as a therapist. Over the years, I’ve had the privilege of working with people facing challenges such as anxiety, depression, illness, grief, life transitions, and questions of meaning and identity. My approach is integrative — I draw from cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), humanistic and existential perspectives, and mindfulness-based practices. This allows me to adapt therapy to each individual, offering both practical tools for coping and space for deeper exploration and growth. What shapes my work most is my belief in people’s capacity for healing and resilience. Clients often describe me as warm, compassionate, and grounded. I strive to create a supportive environment where you feel safe to be yourself, explore openly, and take steps toward the life you want to live.
Your first therapy session is about creating a safe, welcoming space where you can begin to share your story. We’ll talk about what brought you to therapy, what you’d like to work on, and what you hope to get out of the process. You don’t need to have all the answers — we’ll figure things out together, at your pace. I’ll ask some background questions to get a better sense of your life and experiences, but there’s no pressure to share everything right away. You’ll also have time to ask me questions about how therapy works. By the end of the session, you should feel a clearer sense of what it’s like to work together, and we’ll begin shaping goals that feel meaningful and achievable for you.
I combine warmth, compassion, and evidence-based approaches to create a space that feels both safe and empowering. I don’t believe in a “one-size-fits-all” model — instead, I adapt therapy to meet you where you are, drawing from approaches like CBT, ACT, humanistic, and existential therapy. I bring curiosity and openness, helping you explore not just how to reduce distress, but how to build a life that feels meaningful and authentic. My goal is not only to support healing but also to foster growth, resilience, and deeper self-understanding.
If you are struggling with daily life, I can help you navigate challenges by creating a safe, compassionate, and nonjudgmental space where we can explore your thoughts, feelings, and experiences. My approach is collaborative and tailored to each person’s unique needs — drawing from evidence-based methods such as cognitive-behavioral strategies, mindfulness practices, and humanistic approaches. I support clients in understanding patterns that may be keeping them stuck, building healthier ways of thinking, coping, and relating, and exploring questions of meaning, purpose, and identity. We can work together to help you develop resilience, confidence, and self-acceptance. I believe that every individual has the capacity for growth and healing. My role is to walk alongside you, helping you clarify what matters most to you and take steps toward a more fulfilling, authentic life.
ACT encourages people to live a values-driven life, even when difficult emotions are present
CBT focuses on the connection between thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, with the idea that changing unhelpful thinking patterns and behaviors can improve how a person feels and functions.
Existential therapy focuses on the human condition, emphasizing themes like freedom, choice, meaning, and responsibility. Rather than targeting symptoms directly (as in CBT or ACT), it explores the deeper questions of existence that underlie a person’s struggles.
Humanistic therapy emphasizes the inherent worth, dignity, and potential of each person.
Integrative therapy is a flexible approach that blends techniques and theories from different schools of thought (such as CBT, humanistic, existential therapies). Instead of adhering rigidly to one model, integrative therapy is tailored to the unique needs of each client.