We heal in relationship--in our relationship to the natural world, our ancestors, others, and our selves. We flourish when we are alive in our bodies and awake in the world, aligned with our values, and grounded with a sense of purpose. Painful experiences and negative patterns can disconnect us from our innate ability to live life fully. When you are stuck, dissatisfied in relationship, challenged by life transition, compromised by depression or anxiety, unable to heal from trauma, or simply feeling called into a deeper sense of embodied wholeness, therapy can be a powerful method of transformation. I offer tools you can use to reconnect with your own power, values, and direction. I have many years of experience working with individuals and I believe all people are resilient, with the internal strength necessary to grow and heal. 

I combine Western psychotherapy with mindfulness-based, somatic practices. Mindfulness is a skill that involves slowing down in order to notice--moment by moment, with curiosity and kindness--what you are doing, thinking, and feeling, so that if you like, you can make desired changes. Since our bodies are connected to our beliefs and feelings, by slowing down and bringing awareness to our bodies, the path towards healing can be revealed.

I offer a safe space to explore your concerns and combine a warm, gentle presence with an active approach to facilitating change. We will work together to identify and transform old beliefs, negative responses, and self-defeating patterns, as well as connect with your natural resources and strengths.

I believe trials can bring transformation. I believe struggles and transitions can provide an opportunity to grow and change in life-giving ways. I believe it is never too late to live a meaningful life. I strive to be effective, present, and attuned with you through your process. I draw on my experience in social justice movements and hold the greater context of privilege, oppression and cultural trauma as interwoven in all of our healing journeys. I welcome people of diverse ethnicities, gender expression, sexuality, religious and spiritual orientations.

Some of the modalities I have training in and find effective:

EMDR, a somatic therapy developed to resolve symptoms of disturbing or unresolved life experiences. I am a certified EMDR therapist.

Sensorimotor Psychotherapy™, a body-centered approach that aims to treat the somatic symptoms of unresolved trauma. While traditional talk therapies utilize the words of a person as the entry point for treatment, this type of therapy depends on the bodily experiences of the individual as a gateway to awareness and improved mental health. I have completed the Sensorimotor Psychotherapy Level 1 and Level 2 trainings and I am currently assisting in the Level 1 Trauma training.

The Hakomi method, a somatic and experiential modality that helps bring awareness of "core material" (ie. beliefs, emotions, memories, images and action tendencies, often formed in childhood, that shape us, organize our experience, and define our way of relating to ourselves and the world). The client can then explore and follow present-moment experiences towards the "core material" in order to pursue ways to heal and evolve the core material. Through the study of present moment experiences in mindfulness, conflicts organically resolve, maladaptive patterns shift and resources are identified and strengthened. I have completed the Hakomi Professional training, the Advanced training, and I have served as a Teaching assistant for the Professional Skills Training. I am a certified Hakomi therapist.

Internal Family Systems (IFS), identifies and addresses multiple sub-personalities (or "parts") within each person’s mental system. These sub-personalities consist of wounded parts and painful emotions such as anger and shame, and parts that try to control and protect the person from the pain of the wounded parts. The parts are often in conflict with each other and with one’s core Self, a concept that describes the confident, compassionate, whole person that is at the core of every individual. IFS focuses on healing the wounded parts and restoring mental balance and harmony by changing the dynamics that create discord among the sub-personalities and the Self.

Emotion Focused Couples therapy, an attachment-based model that focuses on expanding and reorganizing important emotional responses, implementing and fostering the creation of a secure bond between partners, and helping to shift each partner’s position of interaction while initiating new cycles of interaction that are more beneficial for the relationship. I have completed the EFT externship and EFT Core skills training.