My Approach
I endeavor to bring warmth, awareness, and connection to my sessions. I co-create a unique healing experience with clients, often using humor and creativity to encourage mindfulness, self-compassion, and change. I believe firmly that healing is non-linear, and absolutely that it is possible. My colleagues have described me as "compassionate, deep-feeling, inquisitive and intuitive." My clients have described me as "warm, accepting, and caring."
I tend to work from a blend of humanistic, relational, and psychodynamic lenses, which means I work to help clients gain clearer insight into their lives, identities, and relationships while holding that each person is a unique, valuable being. We'll look at patterns that have shown up again and again in your life by gaining a deeper understanding of your emotions, thoughts, early-life experiences and beliefs. Once we can see these patterns clearly is when we can begin to approach the change you'd like to see. When you're ready, we'll practice somatic awareness to rebuild trust and connection between your body and your mind. We'll also focus on your relationships, values, culture, and autonomy. I borrow techniques from Polyvagal Theory, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Narrative Therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based Self Compassion, and Motivational Interviewing. You may or may not be familiar with these theories and terms, and ultimately you probably don't need to be! Once we establish your goals, we'll develop a treatment plan with what's best for you.
I pursue antiracism, feminism, Harm Reduction, Health at Every Size (HAES), LGBTQ+ allyship and disability justice. I am trauma-informed. I encourage the discussion of intersectional identity. If you're not sure what that means, let's talk about it!
About Me
Prior to beginning a career in counseling, I worked at tech startups and Fortune 500 corporations for a decade. This helped me develop a strong sense of professionalism, and also exposed me to the pressures of our modern working world. I've witnessed the impacts of stress, burnout, abusive professional relationships and discrimination. Supporting my colleagues in their struggles deepened my interest in pursuing a career helping others with healing and growth.
I earned my Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from The Wright Institute in Berkeley. I completed my Clinical Internship at SF AIDS Foundation's Stonewall Project, a Harm Reduction-based counseling program dedicated to providing treatment for co-occurring substance use and mental health challenges to gay, bi and trans men who have sex with men (MSM) interested in addressing drug and/or alcohol use. I later supported an after school program in East Oakland as a Mental Health Counselor for youth, teens, and staff. In 2021, I joined You Rule Therapy, a San Francisco-based private practice, where I provide individual services to adults and teens, relationship/couples therapy, and facilitate groups. I've had the privilege to support clients across multiple stages of life, and across gender, sexuality, racial/ethnic, and neurodiversity spectrums. I enjoy working with people from all walks of life, including but not limited to sex workers, attorneys, scientists, mental health providers, tech leaders, bartenders, artists, stay-at-home-parents, healthcare professionals, students, and people navigating unemployment. I've helped people navigate dating, new relationships, long term partnerships, and breakups. I have specific clinical experience working with anxiety, panic, depression, substance and alcohol use, sex and sexuality, career challenges, identity, attachment challenges, trauma, and relationships. I have deep understanding of multicultural relationships, work stress, "people pleasing behaviors", life transitions, blended families, performing arts, chronic health conditions, and Intuitive Eating.
I grew up in the Northeast, and have also lived in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic, plus a brief time in Rome. I lived in California for over a decade and recently relocated to the Pacific Northwest. My favorite things to do include: ceramics, listening to music, staring at nature, walking, hiking, dancing, power lifting, traveling, painting, singing at the top of my lungs, cooking and naps.