Therapeutic Approach
A different way of thinking about healing
At the heart of my approach is a belief that each person is fundamentally whole.
But, sometimes that wholeness can be difficult to see. Our experiences, relationships, and ways of protecting ourselves can obscure parts of who we are and make certain ways of being feel unavailable to us. But like the moon when only a sliver is visible, what we can see is not the whole of what is there.
I believe people have an inherent capacity for growth, change, and wellbeing, even when that feels out of reach, and my role is to help create a space where you can slow down, become curious about yourself, and recognize strengths, resources, and possibilities that may be difficult to access on your own.
Understanding the process of change
When we find ourselves repeating patterns that no longer serve us, it can be tempting to see them as problems that need to be eliminated.
I approach them differently.
Rather than asking “What's wrong with you?” I am more interested in questions like: What happened that made this way of being make sense? What has this pattern offered you? What might it still be protecting or providing?
Even patterns that create suffering often developed for a reason. Understanding that function doesn't mean we have to remain stuck. It can give us the freedom to decide whether a pattern still belongs in our lives.
I use curiosity and thoughtful questioning to help bring these patterns into awareness—not to tell you what your experience means, but to help you discover your own values, needs, and sense of what feels right for you.
Learning to trust what you already know
Therapy can also help you develop a deeper relationship with your own inner experience.
Our emotions, bodies, sensations, imagery, and felt experiences can offer information that isn't always accessible through conscious thought or language. I make room for these forms of knowing alongside more cognitive and analytical ways of understanding ourselves.
Over time, the goal isn't for you to need me to tell you what you're feeling, what your patterns mean, or what you should do next.
It is to become increasingly able to hear yourself.
The relationship is part of the work
I believe meaningful therapy happens in relationship.
Being genuinely seen, understood, and accepted can give us an experience of ourselves that is difficult to create in isolation. The therapeutic relationship can become a place where we notice how we relate, what we expect from others, what feels safe or threatening, and what becomes possible when we are met with curiosity rather than judgment.
I also believe in being a human in relationship with my clients. When it is therapeutically meaningful, I may appropriately share my own felt experience or something about myself. I am genuinely present as a whole person while maintaining the boundaries and responsibility that make the therapeutic relationship safe and useful.
My Clinical Foundation
My work is grounded in psychodynamic and person-centered theory, with particular interests in:
Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP)
Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT)
Relational-Cultural Theory (RCT)
Interpersonal Neurobiology
Evolutionary Psychology
During my graduate studies, I developed particular interests in trauma-informed care and affirming care practices for supporting LGBTQIA+ communities.
These frameworks inform how I understand human development, relationships, emotion, adaptation, and change. I draw from these perspectives thoughtfully and collaboratively, tailoring our work to you, your experiences, and what you need.