Who do I work with

When you grow up feeling weird and misunderstood by the people around you, you may go to extreme lengths to be understood or to manage the stresses of life that stem from disconnection, including self-harm, isolation, people-pleasing, substance use and other behaviors. You may sense incongruence between your current values, aspirations, and dreams-- your true, authentic (wonderfully weird) self--and your deeply ingrained beliefs that originate from childhood and no longer serve you. You are living in the space between your authentic self and who you think the world wants you to be. This is a painful and unsustainable situation. 

If you feel ready (even a little bit) to face the parts of you that feel scariest, I’m ready to join you on your journey. Our shadows can provide our greatest wisdom if we are willing to explore with courage, acceptance, and compassion. Recognizing our own participation in dynamics can be hard, but incredibly rewarding. I believe in your innate strength, and I will provide a space where we can explore hard things together.  

My style is direct and directive emphasizing self-empowerment and action to change your life aligned to your values. My background working in psychiatric crisis for nearly a decade lends well to those who believe the story of being “too much,” have a history of major mental illness, or identify as “offbeat” in this world. Through mindfulness-based practices including meditation and qigong, I encourage building gentle connection with breath and body. I integrate Solution-Focused and Motivational Interviewing to help you gain clarity around values and goals. We collaboratively build action-based plans and coping skills to help you manage adversity when it hits, (because, let’s face it, this will happen!) and gain confidence in your capability to handle these experiences.