KNOW YOUR PROVIDER

Since 2007, I have been actively immersed in professional and educational undertakings essential to the inner workings of my practice. I have been providing post-graduate counseling services since 2017, followed by establishing my private practice shortly after gaining independent licensure in 2019. In recent years, I have focused on offering individual & relationship counseling, in addition to professional consultation for helping professionals and organizations.

While residing in the Pacific Northwest, I attended Lewis & Clark Graduate School of Education and Counseling. Upon completion, I attained a master's degree in clinical mental health counseling with a primary focus in social justice, and an advanced graduate subspecialty in treating addictions. My pre-master's studies centered clinical psychology, feminist theory, and women's social-emotional health. I've remained committed to growing my craft through ongoing trainings, courses, and relevant intensives.

In 2021, I completed EMDR training through an EMDRIA accredited institute. I have since observed the significant benefits this modality offers. I am currently participating in a specialist certification program focused on meeting the clinical needs of those with ADHD.

Over the years, I have been involved in various efforts focused on policy reformation and critical resource distribution across communities. Despite working almost exclusively with adults in my practice, I tend to prioritize youth-centered advocacy engagements, such as working to increase sustainable housing & promoting Housing First practices among those typically enforcing the strongest barriers to entry. In collaboration with a trusted colleague, we designed & implemented three distinct Housing First programs, which remain operative to date in successful alignment with their primary mission.

PHILOSOPHY & PRACTICE:

I am compelled by the multifaceted world of person-to-person relational & emotional labor(s).

Each session provides deep focus exclusively on you as we function in mindful collaboration toward your defined ideals & desires. When we work together, you can expect participation that strives to honor your unique lived experience, and intersecting identities. You will receive accessible strengths-based psychoeducation, and therapeutic coaching relevant to your goals. We will determine a well-suited path for our work as collaborators in your growth process.

The theories I most frequently draw upon in psychotherapy include the following:

Psychodynamic Therapy

Existential

Attachment and Differentiation

Transpersonal

Relational Integrative

IFS/Parts Work

Metacognitive

Creative Expressional

Social Influence Theory

Somatic Experiencing

EMDR

Trauma Informed Yoga

Depth Psychology

Jungian Philosophy

I take an active & educational approach across service-types. This more directive style exists in opposition to the traditional passive presentation of psychotherapist most frequently represented in pop-psychology, and media. All brands of this important work hold capacity to be valuable, but that doesn't mean every style, or every provider will meet your personal preferences. Though it is not always possible to speculate in advance about how it might feel to work with a particular counselor or consultant, I encourage you to assess for compatibility cues, and make thoughtful decisions for yourself when possible.

I firmly believe providers who seek to practice responsibly must acknowledge the harmful inner workings of our domestic healthcare system, including the ways in which race, class, gender, sexual orientation, and many additional identity considerations continue to be inappropriately burdened by widely accepted norms in healthcare that work to uphold oppression at the cost of initial stated mission(s), and against possibilities for person-centered care. Too often individuals who appear to meet diagnostic criteria for particular "disorders" are actually enduring a chronic stress response in proportion to the relentless impacts of systemic oppression & associated restriction of critical resources. When diagnostic considerations are relevant in our work, the determination process will be consensual and participatory.

PERSONAL LIFE:

I embody a daily commitment to my craft that spans well beyond the bounds of time spent in live sessions with others. Prioritizing meaningful personal experiences that satiate my own creative, somatic, relational, and emotional yearnings ultimately makes it possible for me to authentically & deeply join with another in this work.

I can often be found in a state of dance whether on a dance floor, or in the privacy of my own living room. Similarly, I enjoy moving my body in community yoga practice, which I have been participating in for many years. I generally prefer hot yoga and lively dance, since somatic intensity feels like peak aliveness in my system. I practice various forms of regular meditation, as I strive (but still struggle) to appreciate intentional stillness as a means of sourcing balance in a system that prefers to be on the move often beyond realistic capacity. As a provider, I do not necessarily specialize in working with those enduring long-term chronic illnesses. However, as a person with late stage chronic Lyme Disease, I am long familiar with the realities of inhabiting a body that is highly unpredictable, if not intermittently unrecognizable depending on conditions.

I am a grateful parent of two young children who mean nothing short of the world to me. The experience of parenting continues to dismantle much of what I thought I knew beforehand in order to make space for what my children would have me know. Some of my favorite things to do as a family include spontaneously writing & singing songs together. I am self-taught on guitar and ukulele, courtesy of many sleepless nights throughout high school in the early 2000s. Similarly, my oldest has taken to the drums courtesy of a non-resident grandparent, while the other enjoys a plethora of questionable surfaces for noise variety and musical chaos-making. I have fantasies of a family band someday.

Other personal interests include creative writing in form of short essay, poetry, and personal narrative. I am compelled by formal research that examines interpersonal and social psychology, especially in the context of sexuality and desire, relationship decision making, and individual personality formation. I am fascinated by social taboos and social norms alike, and revel in mutual speculation on these topics with anyone who isn't afraid to make slightly uncomfortable conversation around the dinner table.

I am guided by values of social & communal inclusivity, systems reformation, radical curiosity, philosophical speculation, creative expression, and collective resistance against gross misuses of authority. I believe radical change is the birthright of every individual, as is failure, innate desire, and permission to "do things badly" just for the joy of it. I believe we are all inherently creative & in fact creating constantly. I feel most inspired when attempting something that scares me, especially in a meaningful relational context. I like to be challenged where it counts & find equal enjoyment in offering this to others.

Becoming a trusted collaborator is a tremendous honor. Transparency & education will be integrated throughout our work, so you will walk away with an embodied understanding of how and why the chosen framework(s) relate to your ideal outcomes. Evidence that therapy is fulfilling its intended function will become most noticeable when the risks you take in our work together start to emerge as actionable steps in your life outside of our space. Together we are aiming for transformative integration; the kind that can't be easily walked back from once realized. The nature of our collaboration will exclusively center your unique story and personal considerations, while evolving alongside you in a journey that is likely to change shape in many unexpected ways over time.

Contact me for a free 15-minute consultation.

Experience & Philosophy: About Me