Growing up, I never quite knew where I fit in. I knew I was different, somehow. In fact, in high school, I hung with a group of kids that were called the “tree group” because we sat under a tree–we all defied conventions somehow. Later in life, I discovered that I simply had needs that were not that different than anyone else’s, I just didn’t realize there were other people like me.

People who suffer from debilitating anxiety, for example, but still want to live brave lives. I also knew a traditional relationship style would never work for me, but kept trying monogamy on until I discovered that there were other options available. I knew I was a highly sensitive person with strong emotions and empathy, but I didn’t know that was just a normal, if unique, way of moving through the world. And I knew that I lived in a fat body and didn’t feel there was much wrong with that, apart from how society saw me.

What I’ve learned throughout my life is that we’re all much more alike than different, and being othered is often a product of society’s intolerance rather than anything wrong with each of us. That learning has shaped both my own growth and the growth I hope to help clients achieve in my counseling practice.

I have a strong foundation in mindfulness, self-compassion, and Brené Brown’s work in shame, vulnerability, belonging and bravery. I’m also highly trained in sexual and gender affirming therapies. I can also competently use modalities such as cognitive-behavioral therapy, DBT, and motivational interviewing. All told, I have 20 years of experience in the mental health field.

You’ll hear me talk about shame and how it keeps us stuck. You’ll receive training in mindful practices such as meditation, body scans, and visualization exercises. Most importantly, though, we will focus on what is important to you. Our mission is to move you toward your best good, as you define and claim it.

As a member of the LGBTQI+ community, I specifically enjoy working with LGBTQI+ clients (including writing letters for gender affirming medical needs). My practice is open-minded and non-judgmental.

• Are you feeling overwhelmed by or disconnected to the world and people around you?
• Do you feel restricted by negative thought cycles, patterns of behavior, or habits that no longer serve you?
• Are you ready to examine past trauma and how it affects who you have become?
• Are you looking for skills to process big emotions?
• Are you ready to sit down and have tea with your inner critics and maybe make friends?

If any of these questions strike a chord in your soul and you are ready to address them, I am here to help! I can listen to you and together we will explore and discover the path you want to take to your personal betterment. I can hold a safe space for you on your journey, as you decide what transformation means for you. I can offer tools and resources to help you reach your personal goals and help you set those goal and new ones when you are ready.

Transformation is a natural process, and a messy one. You deserve to find a counselor that can support you during this process! Finding the right counselor is a challenging task. If my information feels like a good match, take that first step and reach out!

I look forward to working collaboratively with clients to provide an authentic, non-judgmental, and empathic space to deepen levels of insight and explore new, more adaptive modes of being in the world. With openness and curiosity, I am wholeheartedly committed to psychotherapy not only as an avenue for individual growth and healing, but also, as a way of empowering individuals to work towards social transformation and collective liberation. Centering a queer, feminist, and decolonial lens in my own practice means that I strive to maintain a culturally-attuned, strengths-based stance that aims to examine and attend to the operation of power and privilege in our lives.

My approach is psychoanalytically based, and is rooted in relational, attachment, and trauma-informed theories and practices, with a special interest in somatics, affective neuroscience, and mindfulness. While interested in the ways in which we are all shaped by our early relationships, environment, and experiences, I believe in the healing power that results from establishing a warm and accepting therapeutic relationship in the here-and-now. Through this work one can find greater agency and freedom by developing deeper capacities for connection and stronger abilities to hold oneself and the world with compassion, complexity, and nuance.