You will be held well
if you’re here, it may be because you’re curious about finding a new counselor to embark on the next stage of your healing journey.
your choice to commit to the work of healing and transformation is not easy. as a counselor who has attended (and will continue to attend) much therapy in my adult life, I understand the emotional undertaking of the decision to heal the wounds of being human in this world. my intention as a counselor is that you would feel held well as we work together. I promise to bring a lens of non-judgment, softness, and compassion to the time we may spend together.
prospective clients
aka: who I work with
I love working with folks of all ages, but especially adolescents and young adults (15-25). areas of focus are: disordered eating, religious trauma, folks who are navigating coming out, addressing/supporting anxiety and depression, and transitions in young adulthood (graduating, leaving home, growing up). if you’re someone who is wanting to delve deeper into identity work and deconstructing the narratives you were born into (religion, comp-het, fatphobia, racism, ableism etc.) that prevent you from living a life you want to live - I’d be happy to support you in this work, and I have personal experiences in these areas that inform the work I do.
if you just want a therapist who is kind, warm, humorous and straight forward - that’s me! let’s schedule a free consult phone call.
while I wish I could say this would be easy, I’ve learned that building the life you want to live requires first wading through the murk of other’s expectations. this work is hard, but if you’re like me, it feels essential, and it would be my privilege to hold you well as you do it.
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as a person who grew up as a “big girl” amidst diet culture and constant “healthy lifestyle choices” (diets), I have much lived experience in unlearning the anti-fat bias that kept me in a cycle of disordered eating and self-hate. while I now identify as small fat, I welcome clients of any body size and firmly hold the belief that no body is a problem to be solved. when I work with issues of body image, I use a “health at every size” (HAES) approach.
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for folks who have experienced hurt by a religious movement and have already left the religion/community or are considering leaving, I have lived experience as an exvangelical, former missionary, Bible study leader/camp counselor who left the Christian church in my early 20’s and has been detangling the trauma and pain ever since.
I have found it will be a lifelong journey and I am passionate about walking with others on this very challenging, and sometimes isolating journey of deconstruction and rebuilding your life.
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for the folks experiencing restlessness, hopelessness, irritability, being on edge, apathy, avoidance, or persistent feelings of sadness - I consider these feelings to be symptoms of unmet needs and wounds.
I believe in treating symptoms while also exploring the deeper “why” by utilizing a variety of therapeutic methods.
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for the late in life queer folks, including those who are navigating what it means to “come out” as an adult, you may be facing issues like shame, stigma, discrimination, rejection or anticipation of rejection – I get it.
I will commit to sitting with you in the duality of excitement and sadness. I have lived experience in this area as well as clinical expertise in how to navigate shifts in identity.
I cannot offer 24/7 intervention crisis and am therefore unsuitable to assist with active suicidality, diagnoses that benefit from case management in addition to therapy, and active addiction. if you are a resident of Washington state, please call 211 or 988 for assistance finding the right care if any of the aforementioned applies to you.
for help finding services for children age 17 and below, please call 833-303-5437.
my theoretical approach is eclectic and at its core, deeply humanistic. I draw from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Narrative Therapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Enhanced Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBTE), and attachment-based approaches.
what do those types of therapy even mean?
it means that in therapy, you —the client— have the reins (person-centered). it means that I want to help you explore what your values are (which may look like defining them for the first time in your life, or exploring where your values have come from - ACT). it means that we will work together to understand how you are not your problems but they are a Part of you to be explored (narrative therapy and IFS). I have found that most clients benefit from learning to practice routine(s), especially around sleeping and eating - these are essential aspects of regulation (DBT). I believe that attachment, meaning the way we relate to and bond with others, which is often based in childhood and caregiver experiences, is often a key part of healing work. for many of us, our wounds began early in life and we are prone to bury some of those tender experiences due to how difficult they are to explore and feel. finally, I believe that the therapeutic connection between client and counselor is the most important part of therapy, without trust and a feeling of safety, healing won’t happen.
all of this takes time and trust, after all — healing is hard, vulnerable work.
what I really want to do is empower clients to navigate the messiness of being a human living amidst systems of oppression and violence. there is a lot of pain in the world and I understand how hard it can be to connect with your body, your needs and your Self. In addition to the therapy modalities I most often utilize, I work out of a framework rooted in queer and feminist theory, intersectionality, liberation psychology, and anti-oppressive practices. I acknowledge the power dynamic inherent in therapy and take efforts to neutralize the power difference as much as possible. I am not the expert on anyone’s experience besides my own, and I will not pretend to be, but I can commit to holding space for you to share your story. I believe that through offering a nurturing and soft place to land in therapy, we can work together to learn or access tools you already know to build towards the life you want to live and the person you want to be - based on your values and belief system. the approach I take will always be based on your particular needs; as with all things in life - there’s no one size fits all.