You didn’t arrive here by accident

Something drew you here to me. Maybe you’re in search of relief. Relief from pain, depression, anxiety, addiction, difficult relationships, or just that nagging feeling deep within that something in your life isn’t working. You’ve tried so many things, but yet you still find yourself feeling and doing the same things over and over. There has to be more than this, right?

Or maybe it’s to feel more deeply connected in relationship- to yourself, your body, your identity, your family, friends, partners, community, the universe.

No matter what brings you to therapy, I will join you with curiosity, compassion, and openness so that you can explore the fullness of who you are. I create space for all of who you are to be able to show up and live your most authentic life. Even the parts of you that have been disowned, neglected, traumatized, or that you have ignored for too long.

Relationship is at the heart of therapy

For me, therapy is an art. It is a dance—always in motion, fluid, creative, a process. I am here to bear witness to you and your story, all of the particularities, contradictions, and complexities that make you YOU. When you and I can both show up as we are, with nothing to pretend, no boxes to fit ourselves into, transformation occurs. Beautiful, painstaking, rich transformation. What would it be like for you to be in the kind of relationship with yourself where you could say “this is me. The pain, joy, ugliness, shame, hope, desire, all of it.” What would that do for your relationships with others?

My Theoretical Orientation & Approach

I received my Masters in Counseling Psychology from The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology in Seattle, WA and am a member of the Center for Object Relations, where I take continuing education trainings and classes.

I practice psychotherapy through a mixture of psychoanalytic, object relations, attachment, interpersonal neurobiology, somatic and psychodynamic theories. These theories and modalities would fit under the umbrella of Depth Psychology. This means that I am paying close attention to the unconscious. I help you become aware of what has been repressed, rejected, or dissociated, or not yet able to be known (why do you do the same thing over and over even though it causes pain? Why do you keep getting into the same types of friendships/relationships?) Growth and healing are associated with allowing what has been repressed, rejected, denied or ignored to come forward so that you can understand, explore its significance and integrate it, allowing for a transformation. Depth Psychology also looks at the way unconscious processes express themselves in society and culture, and how culture affects the mind.

Ultimately, however, it's the relational dynamic between you and I that most informs our work together.

I believe that you are the expert on your own life. My role is to enter into your story with you and help co-create meaning together. I invite you to bring your questions, observations and frustrations with me and our therapeutic relationship to session. Attending to our relational dynamic is an important part of psychotherapy. Conflict may arise—that’s a good thing! This is sort of like a relational “lab” where you get to work through dynamics, conflicts, and patterns that show up for you outside of psychotherapy. We get to practice working through these things together so that they can also change and be worked on with the other relationships in your life. Yes, it gets messy and uncomfortable sometimes. But more importantly, it’s real, genuine authentic meeting where you get to show up fully and still be valued, accepted, and cared for.