New to Grow
Hi! I'm so glad you're here. If you choose to work with me, I'll have the honor of learning about you, so here's a little bit about me to see if I'm who you're looking for. In Spring 2025, I became a mom to a little boy who is consistently a source of joy and wonder. I was thrilled for this next stage in my life, but pregnancy and postpartum were far more painful, complex, and vulnerable than I had expected. Until going through that personally, my clinical specialty was helping folks through their past and present traumas. While that is still a primary focus of mine, I have also had the privilege of working with moms, dads, and caregivers as they navigate the life transition of parenthood and explore their new, unfamiliar selves. I am also a mom to three fluffy dogs and one leopard gecko, who is by far the easiest of the bunch. While I don't have ample free time in this season of my life, I love reading mystery novels, doing puzzles, and watching comedy movies when I can. I was drawn to this work out of a deep respect for the resilience of the human spirit and a desire to be a steady presence for people during times of uncertainty, growth, and healing. If this sounds like the connection you're looking for, I can't wait to meet you.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
In our initial session, I’ll walk you through my role in our therapeutic relationship and what you can expect from our work together. From there, we’ll focus on getting to know you—your experiences, challenges, strengths, who/what is important to you, and what you’d like to gain from therapy. Goal setting is a collaborative and ongoing part of the process, so we’ll regularly check in to clarify priorities, track progress, and shape the direction of our sessions.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
While I have experience in a range of evidence-based modalities and take an eclectic approach thoughtfully tailored to each client’s unique needs, goals, and strengths, I recognize that many skilled and compassionate therapists do the same. Besides, despite the extensive research supporting these approaches, the most powerful intervention I have witnessed is authentic human connection. We all experience anger, sadness, embarrassment, and fear—and more often than not, the experiences we feel the most shame about are not unique to us. Many clients share that previous therapeutic experiences involved a “blank slate” approach, where the therapist’s humanity felt distant or inaccessible. I understand why this style can be helpful for some, but I believe that if I ask clients to be open, honest, and vulnerable with me, I must be willing to meet them with that same authenticity when appropriate. Specializing in trauma often means working with clients who have or are currently experiencing violence, loss, and profound grief. Remaining neutral in the face of such experiences would diminish both my humanity and the depth of my clients’ pain. I strive to show up fully—willing to feel anger and sadness alongside you, to sit with the details of your embarrassment, and to explore the roots of your fear. If you are able to live it, I am able to hear it. Together, we will bear witness to your truth and work through it in a way that honors your resilience and supports movement toward a more hopeful future.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
While I have worked with clients from many different backgrounds with varying presenting concerns, I find I am most effective with those focused on anxiety, depression, life transitions, parenting stress, pregnancy/postpartum issues, relationship difficulties, self esteem, and trauma. Whether you're navigating a difficult season, healing from the past, or simply seeking to grow, therapy can be a powerful step toward a more connected and fulfilling life. I look forward to walking alongside you on that journey.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
I believe a person-centered approach is essential to the therapeutic process. Grounded in empathy, authenticity, and unconditional positive regard, this approach honors each client’s lived experience and inner wisdom. By creating a safe, collaborative, and nonjudgmental space where clients feel deeply heard and respected, I support clients in exploring their concerns at their own pace and accessing their inherent capacity for growth, healing, and self-direction.
Trauma-Focused CBT
I use trauma-focused CBT to help clients understand how traumatic experiences shape thoughts, emotions, and behaviors, and to gently challenge patterns that developed in response to danger or distress. This approach combines psychoeducation, skill-building, and cognitive and emotional processing to reduce trauma symptoms and increase a sense of safety and control. By strengthening coping skills and reshaping unhelpful beliefs, trauma-focused CBT supports clients in moving forward with greater resilience and self-efficacy.
EMDR
I use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing to help clients process traumatic and distressing experiences that remain “stuck” in the nervous system. By using bilateral stimulation, EMDR supports the brain’s natural healing processes, allowing memories to be reprocessed in a way that reduces emotional intensity and negative self-beliefs. This approach helps clients integrate past experiences more adaptively, so they can feel more grounded in the present and less shaped by unresolved trauma.
Gottman method
I completed formal training with The Gottman Institute and use the Gottman Method to help couples understand and shift unhelpful interaction patterns by strengthening friendship, improving communication, and increasing emotional attunement. Grounded in research, this approach helps couples identify cycles of conflict, reduce defensiveness and reactivity, and build skills for initiating repair and connection. While originally developed for couples, the Gottman Method can apply to a variety of interpersonal dynamics beyond intimate relationships, so I often incorporate techniques from this modality into individual psychotherapy as well.
Internal Family Systems (IFS)
I use IFS to help clients understand how trauma and distressing experiences can shift their sense of self by organizing their inner world into different “parts.” Trauma often leads to "exiles"—parts that carry pain, fear, shame, or unmet needs from overwhelming experiences. To protect these vulnerable exiles, other protective parts may take on extreme roles, such as emotional numbing, hypervigilance, people-pleasing, or self-criticism. Over time, these protectors can dominate, making the trauma-based responses feel like the whole self. IFS helps clients safely connect with and unburden exiles while softening protective roles, restoring access to the core Self qualities of calm, clarity, and compassion.