​​We usually come to therapy because we feel "stuck" somehow. Stuck in old patterns, trauma responses, reactive patterns, grief, resentment, self-criticism. We long to be free, or at least more free. The Buddhist teacher and founder of the San Francisco Zen Center, Shunryu Suzuki, said: "Each of you is perfect the way you are... and you can use a little improvement." This paradox is at the heart of Marsha Linehan's Dialectical Behavioral Therapy; imbued in her theory is the dance between acceptance and change. And, from the work of Kristen Neff, we know that effecting change takes a lot of self-compassion; self-loathing doesn't work.

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As a therapist, I hold a non-judgmental space, approaching each client with positive regard and curiosity. First, I build an understanding of the person I'm working with: their worldview, their cultural identity, their strengths and where they are "stuck." How we move forward with therapy and the modalities we use depend on the unique combination of the problem they are coming to therapy with and the strengths they bring to their process of healing, growing and becoming.

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In addition to anxiety and depression, my areas of special interest and focus are developmental trauma, attachment theory, neurodivergence, relationships, and family systems. I wholeheartedly believe that continuing to develop greater self-awareness, self compassion and positive transformation is possible for everyone; we all have the ability to rewire brain patterns that are not serving us, to regulate our nervous system, to feel at home and at peace in our bodies, and to live from a place of grounded equanimity.

 

Therapy is a partnership, and my clients are always at the center of the process. My approach integrates multiple, complimentary theories: Somatic practices, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,  Mindfulness, and Creative Expression. 

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In addition to the modalities mentioned above, I also have a background in yoga and taught for 15+ years. I'm also a certified Health and Wellness Coach through Wellcoaches, and coached for 10+ years, focusing on mindfulness-based stress management, burnout, and lifestyle medicine.