"There is a crack in everything. That's how the light gets in."
— Leonard Cohen
Your story, your experience, and your discovery are all welcome here.
I come to this work with an authentic sense of openness and curiosity; an unceasing belief in your worthiness and capacity to flourish; and a trust that, whether you can recognize it or not, we are all uniquely resilient and capable of healing and change. My approach is collaborative, relational, and real (with a little humor thrown in). We will embark on a journey together to explore experiences you are finding troubling or ways you are trying to understand yourself better. This exploration usually involves bringing curiosity to both the past and the present, so that the way forward can unfold.
I hold the space and guide our journey, but our process is a collaboration.
I invite people into this work who are motivated to practice self-inquiry and who are open to an organic, client-centered exchange. Most of my clients are professionals, creatives, or students who are engaged in their lives but have experienced a difficult event or setback, feel stuck, or are wanting to bring more attention to how they interact with their internal landscapes or external circumstances. I provide individual counseling for adults.
I am experienced in providing counseling services in a variety of areas:
Self esteem (I prefer the term "self compassion"), shame, negative self talk.
Working with people in high impact helping professions (healthcare professionals, social workers, first responders, teachers etc) to manage stress, burnout, vicarious trauma and compassion fatigue.
Emotional awareness & resilience (finding a middle way between emotions that feel overwhelming and create a feeling of flooding, and feeling numb or blunted to emotion).
Improving relationships to find more joy, connection and ease.
Life transitions and quests to find more authentic versions of self & purpose.
Challenges faced by womxn, such as exploring the effects of sexism and gender socialization on areas such as setting boundaries, people pleasing, and assertiveness.
Body image and building an intuitive and easeful relationship with food. I am guided by the principles of Intuitive Eating, Health at Every Size, and Body Trust (developed by Be Nourished).
Chronic pain and illness.
Healing from trauma.
Stress resilience, worry & anxious thinking.
Feeling down, blue, unmotivated, depressed.
Challenges faced by folks who identify as LGBTQ.
Tenets of my practice:
Attachment Theory: Research shows that the single most effective ingredient in therapy is a strong and trusting relationship between therapist and clinician. Consistent and nurturing relationships allow us to rewire our brains for healing and connection.
Balancing Past + Present: We will build a wellness plan that allows you to more easefully attend to your day-to-day emotion and experiences, while also creating space to understand past experiences, stories, and unconscious processes. Working in a balanced way on these two levels of experience facilitates deep awareness and deep healing.
Mindfulness: When we learn to attend to our moment-to-moment experiences, we can wake up to ourselves and our lives. Mindfulness can help us cope with difficult emotions and experiences by cutting underneath experiences of “dis-ease” to find the stability of the breath and a sense of centeredness and ease.
Somatics: Our bodies can be a treasure trove of learning, resources, and healing. The body can also feel like a scary or numb place if we have experienced trauma, eating disorders, or other difficult relationships to and betrayals of the body. In our work together, we will start where you are, and I will provide entry points for you to be present and curious about your somatic experience. The integration of the mind/body connection facilitates holistic, lasting healing.
Deep Listening: I will listen deeply for your story and for your momentum towards healing. Our work together is also designed to help you develop a capacity for deep self-listening, so that you can hear and trust your own wisdom and intuition.
Organic, Focused Process: Our work is an organic process tailored to you. The magic of our work often comes from following the natural energy that arises in the therapeutic space. We will allow for this unfolding, but I will also keep us focused and directed.
Exploring Narratives: Together we will explore the effects of old stories and will create space for rewritten and new stories to emerge. The practice of telling our story can bring clarity, healing, and liberation.
Self Compassion/Radical Acceptance: Research shows that our ability to treat ourselves with compassion and acceptance allows for the resolution of difficult emotions and propels us forward. There are practices that we can learn to cultivate an attitude of unconditional self-love.
Feminist/Social Justice: Societal norms, expectations, and identity groups shape and impact our life experiences and how we see ourselves. As a social worker and a feminist, my lens is always broad to include these experiences. Our work is to recognize the impact and empower change.
Person-Centered: I believe that you are the authority on your own experience and that you have the power and wisdom (even if you’re not aware of it right now) to find the best solutions for you. I will show up with unconditional positive regard and an unwavering belief in your wholeness to support you in finding your voice, your self-ness, your power.
Psychodynamic: Our unconscious minds hold a lot of information about the ways we think, feel, and behave...often without our knowing it. Through an exploration of our early life and family of origin experiences, we often gain invaluable insight about our current reality and how we interact with ourselves and the world.