How it works
I begin psychotherapy with one to three intake sessions to get a sense of what you hope to gain from therapy and to arrive at a mutual understanding of the concerns that brought you to this work. From there, we will work collaboratively to create a relationship that facilitates a deeper understanding of yourself so you can expand your range of awareness, develop a sense of possibility about new ways of being, and clarify your intentions about how to live a life that is more fulfilling and satisfying to you. I work intensively, meaning we meet at least once to three times weekly on an open-ended basis.
Therapy with me is process-oriented and insight-based. This means that psychotherapy takes on a psychodynamic perspective, focusing on the ways your past impacts your current experiences and processing feeling states and insights as they emerge in the present moment. The therapeutic relationship is a confidential, safe, and professional space—boundaried yet deeply personal—designed to help you gain a deeper understanding of yourself. My approach welcomes gentleness and creativity in stumbling towards an anti-oppressive way of being-in-relationship. Together we will work through the core issues underlying your struggles, fostering growth and lasting change.
Consistent psychodynamic psychotherapy has been proven to be highly effective. It sets in motion effective psychological processes that lead to ongoing change, continuing to work even after therapy ends.
Modalities
NARM
Neuroaffective Relational Model
NARM is a trauma-focused approach that offers a gentle yet powerful path for healing the impact of early wounds and childhood trauma. It helps us untangle old patterns that once kept us safe but now hold us back, guiding us toward a deeper connection with our bodies, emotions, and relationships. Over time, we begin to feel more grounded, more alive, and more free to live with openness and authenticity.
Parts Work (or Internal Family Systems)
We contain multitudes. Each part of you is valuable and worthy of our care and attention. Together we can discover, give voice to and befriend the many parts and facets of you. In therapy, we can make room for your inner wise Self who knows how to heal and move towards wholeness.
Phase-Oriented Trauma Treatment & Polyvagal-informed Sensorimotor Trauma Therapy
Unprocessed trauma often lingers in the body, showing up through tension, pain, numbness, heightened emotions, or a racing heartbeat. These are the nervous system’s ways of holding and expressing what has not yet been fully integrated. In our work together, we will gently tune into how your body communicates emotions and learn to understand the messages it carries. With curiosity and care, we will develop inner and outer resources to support regulation, safety, and resilience—laying the foundation for deeper healing and integration over time.
Therapeutic Tools
Mindfulness & Awareness Practice
Mindfulness teaches us how to be in the present moment, helping us cultivate calm, clarity and a stance of curiosity and compassion toward ourselves. In therapy, mindfulness can deepen awareness of emotions, thought patterns and bodily states, allowing us to pause and notice rather than react.
Enneagram & Personality Typologies
Self-awareness is a powerful catalyst for transformation. Personality typologies like the Enneagram can empower self-growth and deepen understanding and acceptance of self by identifying strengths, inclinations and challenges. The enneagram lends a way to examine how you relate with yourself, others and the world.
Wise Mind
Cultivating “wise mind” invites us to learn how to take the middle path between reason/logic and emotion. It builds greater connection to your intuitive knowing which leads to balance, clarity and perspective.
Nonviolent Communication
Nonviolent communication (NVC) is a powerful tool for better relationships and social change. NVC helps us to be clear with ourselves and others about what we think, feel, believe and need. NVC fosters self-responsibility, honesty and compassion by inviting us to begin brave conversations with our own needs and values, while listening deeply to others in the process.
“And the speaking will get easier and easier. And you will find you have fallen in love with your own vision, which you may never have realized you had.
And you will lose some friends and lovers.... And new ones will find you and cherish you. ... And at last you'll know with surpassing certainty that only one thing is more frightening than speaking your truth. And that is not speaking.”
— Audre Lorde