My approach

Whatever it is that brings you here, therapy can help you cultivate self-compassion, balance, and choice. My work aims to decrease shame and reactivity while increasing emotional awareness, mindfulness, and resiliency. The therapeutic relationship has the potential to bring about profound change, empowering individuals to reshape problematic relational patterns. I assist clients in recognizing and exploring the influence of their past on their present, fostering acceptance, and facilitating positive change.

My approach is integrative, incorporating attachment, relational, psychodynamic, humanistic, mindfulness, and trauma-informed therapeutic methods. The work centers on self-examination, self-reflection, present awareness, and utilizing the therapist-client relationship as a lens into interpersonal dynamics. This focus aims to reveal clients' roles in challenging patterns, providing the insight and empowerment necessary to transform these dynamics. Throughout our work together, I actively encourage clients to cultivate awareness of their emotions, thoughts, and sensations, helping them stay grounded during moments of overwhelm or activation.

I believe in the collaborative nature of therapy, fostering insight and personal growth within a supportive environment. Developing trust is essential to revealing vulnerable feelings that have been pushed out of conscious awareness. Our collaborative efforts will uncover patterns and elucidate how unconscious thoughts shape behavior. By identifying defense mechanisms that serve to keep distressing feelings and memories out of awareness, we can work together to bring more balance and choice into your life.

I’m a Level 1 PACT therapist (Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy) and a Level 1 AEDP therapist (Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy). I have also received training in Relational Life Therapy (RLT), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), the Community Resiliency Model (CRM), and the Trauma Resiliency Model® (TRM). These additional frameworks are designed to help clients comprehend the biology of traumatic stress reactions and acquire skills to rebalance the body, mind, and spirit following traumatic experiences.

Couple & Intimate Partnership Therapy:

In my work with couples and intimate partnerships, my focus lies in enhancing communication, fostering greater emotional and/or sexual intimacy, guiding the resolution of conflicts in a healthier and more constructive manner, and nurturing compassion and understanding.  I am inclusive of monogamous, non-monogamous, heterosexual, and LGBTQIA+ individuals and relationships.

Gender & LGBTQ+ Affirming Therapy:

Regardless of the issues that bring you to therapy, having a therapist who understands and affirms your identity is vital for the therapeutic relationship and the progression of treatment. Sexual orientation, gender identity, and gender expression are integral aspects of who we are as human beings. I am dedicated to working with individuals in the LGBTQ+ community, assisting them in cultivating a cohesive self-concept that transcends societal heteronormative norms. Additionally, I offer a secure environment for exploring your emotions regarding gender, aiming to liberate you from entrenched cisgender roles and the traumas associated with cultural norms surrounding gender. My approach is sex positive and kink-affirming.

Addiction & Substance Use:

Drawing on my extensive background in addiction and substance abuse, I bring a compassionate and change-focused approach to my work. Utilizing a range of skills, including mindfulness, attachment, psychodynamic techniques, inner-child work, and harm reduction strategies, I strive to foster self-compassion and enhance emotional awareness in those seeking transformation.