Hello, I grew up playing sports. It was really fun. I think one of my favorite things about it was the rules, which don't sound so fun, but they were really important in providing an environment of structure & growth. I grew up in some households where some rules were very strict, ever shifting, and the enforcement was harsh. Where shame was used to teach lessons and fear was used to scare kids into behaving. As a parent myself, I can empathize with moments of being so overstimulated and tired from your kids that you feel like you can’t take it anymore.

To break the generational cycle within my own family, I promised my younger self that I would do better, not because I am better than my family, but because I would find ways to make my own better choices every day. Helping parents navigate thier own struggles with their lives or with kids is part of the work I do now, too. Sometimes that’s sharing how they are coming up against new social struggles, othertimes it can be how can my partner & I have more caring communication so our kid doesn’t feel like they need to be the emotional regulator in the family, or deciding do we talk to them about our open relationship or not?

Therapy is one of many places people can begin to heal from earlier relationship trauma it’s definitely not the only one, and I suggest people have the biggest team they can around them. Lack of a strong social network can be like smoking 15 cigarettes a day and can strong relationships can pump up our chances of survival by like 50% so like I said therapy is a tool in the toolkit but doesn’t need to be the whole package. (Stanford’s Center for Compassion and Altruism Research and Education)

I bring compassion, humility, and focus to my sessions. Whether that is working with someone who has experienced alcohol abuse within the family or a couple who have gone through such different ways of wanting to live but loving each other so much.

My mom raised me to believe that where there's a will, there's a way. And I think that is a root of the kind of perspective I bring to living, I want to do things I am passionate about and live this life with that fire. Sometimes that means looking around at what no longer works and doing an internal remodel, and other times it means looking around with immense gratitude or enhancing the gratitude for the life we have around us. This doesn’t mean that we pretend like there isn’t terrible tragedies or structural inequities in the world, that would be a false cogntiion, but it does mean that we develop the resources to better navigate these issues and situations today & tomorrow. Even if that means, today I take a nap and prepare for tomorrow.

For some people, it helps to know how I work; it's often one of the questions I get asked. My two favorite modalities are Internal Family Systems and EMDR. I utilize them with a variety of my work. As a sex therapist in my couple'’ work, in my individual work, if I do group work, and in my supervision with people. I think that they both do a really good job of helping clear out. The rubble on the bridges of our brain.

As a therapist, I work with many lovable people who need some bridge work. Naming general things like depression, anxiety, and trauma are less important than what the challenge is in the situation someone's managing right now. If something resonated with you, feel free to reach out. And I'd love to get to know you. Tell me what you're going through, and we’ll see how I can help.