Guiding Principles

  • Client-centered therapy essentially means that you are in control of your therapy experience. We focus on what you want to focus on, and I provide you with the support you want for whatever your goals might be.

    I like to think of this as you are driving the car and I am helping you navigate. Together we are partners in the therapy experience.

    You are the expert of your own lived experience and have within yourself the capacity to heal and all the answers you seek. I am co-facilitating with you the healing, transformation, or clarity you desire.

  • Systems theory looks at each individual in relation to the systems they exist in, from the immediate family of origin to our friendships, school, work, community, and cultural environments, all the way out to the global, political historical arena.

    We all shape and are shaped by the systems we exist in. We don’t exist in isolation and therefore can’t be fully understood in isolation.

    In this way, our individual and collective healing are deeply intertwined, with our individual healing contributing to both our individual and collective liberation.

    I love this visualization of systems theory from The Embodiment Institute:

    (Image goes here)

  • A social justice-informed approach to therapy expands on systems theory by utilizing a social justice framework that acknowledges the impact white supremacy, capitalism, and resulting systems of oppression (racism, sexism, cissexism, heterosexism, classism, ableism, ageism, xenophobia, etc.) and the inequitable distribution of power and resources have on all individuals and communities to varying degrees based on the intersections of our various identities and experiences.

    In addition to acknowledging the harms of social injustice and the often insidious ways systems of oppression can be internalized, social justice-informed therapy supports healing with a focus on empowerment and personal and collective transformation toward a more just and equitable world.

  • Trauma-informed therapy takes into account the trauma someone has experienced, both interpersonally as well as collectively and systemically, and the impact that trauma has on a person and community, sometimes across many generations.

    This looks like acknowledging experiences as traumatic, validating the various impacts trauma has on our internal experiences, as well as how we see and interact with the world, and emphasizing choice, consent, collaboration, and transparency around all aspects of the therapy experience.

  • A strength-based approach to therapy emphasizes your strengths and assets and highlights the strengths hidden in what you may consider your challenges or shortcomings. I believe there is a strength within every aspect of who we are as a person.

    Coming from a place of viewing all our attributes as strengths and exploring how to use them most effectively, we can build confidence, and self-esteem, and support ourselves into continuing to become the person we want to be and living the life we want to lead.

Learn more about me and my experience.

  • Client-centered

    Client-centered therapy essentially means that you are in control of your therapy experience. We focus on what you want to focus on, and I provide you with the support you want for whatever your goals might be.

    I like to think of this as you are driving the car and I am helping you navigate. Together we are partners in the therapy experience.

    You are the expert of your own lived experience and have within yourself the capacity to heal and all the answers you seek. I am co-facilitating with you the healing, transformation, or clarity you desire.

Therapy Modalities

  • An integrative or holistic approach to therapy means that I use a variety of different therapy modalities in my work. Which modality I use depends on what you want to explore, understand, or heal and what works for you.

    The below modalities are the ones that I use most frequently. If there is any one in particular that sounds better (or worse) to you, please let me know and we’ll work with that (or not)!

  • IFS is both a theory and a practice. The theory behind IFS is that everyone has multiple parts of themselves (kind of like our different emotions and aspects of our personality) and that this is a natural part of our human experience.

    In addition to our parts, we also have a core Self. Throughout the course of our lives, our parts take on different roles, some serve a protective function, while others carry the wounds from traumas we have experienced.

    There are no bad parts. All of our protective parts have a positive intention and role in helping us manage our lives, and there may also be some challenging side effects to some of their strategies.

    In the practice of IFS therapy, we work to identify and deepen our understanding and appreciation of our parts. Through this process, we can unburden and heal the wounds of past traumas and support our internal systems to be more cohesive and in alignment with our true Self.

    I have 18 hours of post-graduate training in IFS and hope to one day make it through the lottery system to become certified in IFS.

  • ACT seeks to deepen our acceptance of our responses to life events, as well as our commitment to living a life that is in alignment with our values.

    There are six core elements to support this: mindfulness, acceptance, defusion, self as context, values, and committed action.

    Mindfulness involves staying in contact with the present moment and observing our responses without judgment. Acceptance refers to acknowledging and embracing our thoughts and emotions instead of trying to change or avoid them. Defusion supports acceptance by changing the way we react to our responses – looking at them as opposed to from them.

    Self as context also supports this by deepening our connection to ourselves as more than what we experience. Values involve identifying our core values in different areas of our lives, and committed action identifies the actions we can take to live in alignment with our values.

    I have 18 hours of post-graduate training in ACT.

  • Psychodynamic therapy is what many of us think of when we think of talk therapy. Essentially this approach centers on talking about our challenges in the context of a supportive therapy environment.

    This looks like exploring and reflecting on our current and past experiences to deepen our awareness and understanding of ourselves. Through this exploration and understanding, we are better able to live our lives in alignment with our goals and desires.

    I was trained in psychodynamic therapy in my Master of Social Work (MSW) program.

  • CBT looks at the connection between our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors to help us deepen our awareness and understanding of ourselves.

    One of the core beliefs of CBT is that changing one of these elements will have an effect on the others. CBT focuses on changing the way we think or act to impact how we feel, with an emphasis on examining and at times adjusting our thoughts to promote overall wellbeing.

    I was trained in CBT during my MSW program.

  • Somatic, or body-based, approaches to healing involve deepening our awareness and connection to our bodies.

    Traumatic experiences can be carried in the body and may manifest in different ways. Somatic therapy seeks to support us in understanding how our experiences manifest in our bodies and nervous systems.

    Somatic therapy also involves utilizing body-based strategies to resource ourselves and navigate our body-based trauma responses.

    I have 18 hours of post-graduate training in somatics and a Certificate in Somatic Embodiment and Regulation Strategies. This is an area of healing where I am continuing to seek ongoing training opportunities.

  • AWBW utilizes creative expression to deepen our self-awareness and healing through trauma-informed guided art activities.

    For those who are artistically inclined or interested in alternative forms of expression, AWBW offers numerous art practices that can be utilized in session or outside of session and processed together (or not).

    I completed my AWBW facilitator training in 2021.

  • DBT seeks to support emotion and behavior regulation, nourishing relationships, and overall life functioning through skill building in four areas: mindfulness, emotion regulation, distress, tolerance, and interpersonal effectiveness.

    Traditionally, DBT is conducted as a structured program with an emphasis on education and practicing skills outside of session. I do not do this and instead will occasionally sprinkle DBT skills throughout sessions as is helpful.

    If you are interested in a more traditional self-paced DBT skills-building experience, please let me know and I will happily provide you with resources to support that.

    I have 12 hours of post-graduate training in DBT.

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