Who I Am
Grounded in Trust
Research shows the most important part of any course of psychotherapy is the relationship between client and therapist. And the most important part of any relationship is trust, which comes through consistent feelings of safety, attunement, and active support. I can tell you I’m trustworthy, but you’ll only really feel it when you take the risk and give it a try.
That said, sometimes it helps to know a little about the experience and qualifications of the person with whom you'll be talking through your toughest thoughts and feelings.
background
I have a Masters degree in counseling psychology from Pacifica Graduate Institute, and I’m licensed with the Washington Department of Health as a Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) under license number LH61013773.
I entered private practice in 2013 after a seven-year break from clinical work to care for my children. Prior to that I was a mental health counselor intern with a community clinic and with a day program for people with schizophrenia in the Los Angeles area. My first job in the mental health field was as a volunteer sexual assault crisis counselor in the early 1990s. I've had a deep love for this work ever since.
education and Approach
My general approach to the work of therapy is trauma-informed, client-centered, attachment-based, and deeply psychodynamic.
That’s a lot of jargon. At its core it simply means that I believe in you. I believe your story, I believe your feelings, I believe you when you say something hurts — or something brings you joy. I believe what your so-called symptoms tell us about your internal life. I believe in your capacity to heal, and in your desire to do it. I believe you can show up for the work, even when it’s tough, and carry it through. I believe you have a vibrant, inviolable, indomitable core self waiting to emerge through the fog of your trauma. I believe you can do this.
Because I believe in you, I believe we can do some hard but productive work toward your transformation. Most of that work happens through reflective conversation, but my training and experience in these additional modalities can strengthen and support our efforts:
EMDR is a special protocol for accelerating relief from trauma-related symptoms.
Internal Family Systems works through the imagination to dialogue with internal figures who represent parts of ourselves that need healing.
Dreamwork and Active Imagination are tools that open doors to the unconscious so we can work at increasingly deeper levels of awareness.
Finally, my work is informed by anti-bias and mindfulness practice and perspectives. I’ve undergone training in both these areas and do my best to integrate them into therapy work (and I welcome feedback when I fall short!).
Personal
I grew up in the Puget Sound region and moved away as a young adult to explore the world. My last stop was 12 years in Los Angeles, where I worked with nonprofit organizations serving unhoused and low-income people as well as with those doing advocacy work on behalf of the nonprofit sector. Though I loved my years elsewhere, I was thrilled to have the chance to move back to Washington in 2009.
Now I live in the Tacoma area with my partner and our two kids, two goofy dogs, and four cats who think they’re always hungry. I love trees, hiking, campfires, mythology, fairy tales, dreams, Halloween, reading, and fiddle music. I'm terrible at video games but awesome at crossword puzzles. I hope to get to know you soon!
“The most terrifying thing
is to accept oneself
completely.”
LET’S GET STARTED!
Take a look through my website to see if you think we’d be a good fit. If you do, and you’re ready to begin, please fill out my phone screening request form. I’ll get back to you to schedule a free 15-minute phone call so we can both determine if we should move forward. I’m looking forward to talking with you!