I think it’s helpful for my clients to know why I do this work. I come from a family with a lot of intergenerational trauma: war refugees, parental abandonment, sexual trauma, addiction, and suicide. My first step on the path to becoming a therapist was learning how to deal with my own anxiety and depression. Working in mental health treatment has led me to an understanding my own inner workings and it continually reminds me of where I can get myself into trouble. What keeps me in this field is a desire to share what I know. It feels good to help others.

My training is rooted in over a decade spent as a wilderness therapy guide and my experiences in adventure therapy work. Living in small groups taught me about what it really means to be human. This perspective is beneficial to my clients’ relationships, it informs the self-care habits I teach, and it helps me in explaining why creating meaning guards us from mental health issues.

Taking care of yourself is a life-long practice. For me, that means time spent rock climbing, snowboarding, dancing, cooking, practicing yoga, traveling abroad, and making and enjoying art. And, of course, I frequently revisit my own work with my relationships with others and my relationship with myself.

I believe that clients’ unique cultural context and socio-economic experience should inform therapy. This is a feminist and social justice-based perspective. I strive to be affirming of racial, cultural, religious, and LGBTQIA2S+ identity, and other minority identities.

Over the past twenty years, I’ve worked with clients experiencing a wide range of mental health issues. I utilize a variety of modalities including Existential Therapy, DBT, Sex Therapy, EMDR, Family Systems Therapy, and Dance Therapy. I have extensive experience with mindfulness-based practices, Wilderness Therapy, Adventure Therapy, and group therapy. Please get in touch if you have specific questions regarding whether or not I might be the right therapist for you.