““You build inner strength through embracing the totality of your experience, both the delightful parts and the difficult parts.””
My Approach
I am a licensed psychotherapist (LMFT) and provide individual, family and relationship therapy as well as professional consultation to therapists. I’m real, engaged, transparent, warm and collaborative. Below you will find more about how I approach therapy with the following specialities.
Somatic and Experiential work: I offer therapy that is trauma informed and experiential. “Experiential” means being with your felt experience and emotions in the present moment. There are so many ways we are discouraged from being ourselves and being with our moment to moment genuine experience in our body. Feeling a sense of ourselves in a real affirmative way is the first step to knowing our yes’s, no’s, maybe’s and just landing into the lives that we are living.
Marginalization Trauma: One of my specialities includes healing from traumatic experiences of marginalization, othering and/or not belonging. These experiences can lead to deep anxiety, stress, confusion, vigilance, self-denial, depression and disconnection from your truth. I hold your experiences with grace and understanding and provide support and somatic education about how to safely feel your feelings which otherwise may feel overwhelming and exiled from your truth. It is very helpful to look at how these feelings may relate to old beliefs and fears linked with past trauma and early relationships to help you understand how present day issues may be influenced by dynamics from the past. Every step of therapy is your choice, this is your therapy. I help you with the problem you want to work on.
Sexuality and Gender expanisve care: I affirm and specialize in sexual and gender diversity. I am educated, experienced and knowledgable about alternative consensual sexualities and non-traditional relationships structures. I support clients to cultivate a sexuality that is reflective of who they are, their needs, boundaries and desires. I provide support and affirm your intentions to heal through sexuality and creativity. I also help with working through fears and past issues and trauma when opening up your relationship or exploring your sexuality.
Psychosis spectrum specialized care: Visons, auditory or tactile hallucinations, felt presences, paranoia and other perceptual shifts or changes can be hard to make sense/meaning of especially in a neurotypical world. Sometimes it can be hard to stay on track with your life when handling diverse experiential input. I both honor and value your “reality” and ways of understanding your experiences. I also provide support to help with reducing intense fear and increase your ability to feel “safe enough” to inahbit your environment. Some of the expertise I bring includes: CBTp, Compassion Focused Therapy, Feeling Safe program, EMDR for psychosis, Voice Dialogue (both Rufus May and Eleanor Longden approach). I also value art and writing as a means for exploration of one’s experiences. I integrate and offer peer led resources such as psychosis outside of the box.