Welcome to therapy! I love doing this work. I’ve seen people from all walks of life. Those who go to therapy tend to be self-aware and empathic. They are attuned to injustice and the needs of others, sometimes excessively. They struggle with problems like low self-esteem, anxiety, unresolved grief or anger, and self-sabotage.

My clients have often tried to fix what they think is “wrong” about them. They’ve tried to be grateful, think positive, let it go already—and so on. Therapy helps you get out of your head and into your heart, intuition, and deep wisdom. That’s where the real relief comes.

Therapy is a unique relationship that is warm, safe, and predictable. It’s different than talking to a friend, because you don’t need to manage my response or my feelings. You can open up at your own speed without judgment or unwanted advice. I make suggestions sometimes, but I don’t tell you what to do.

In most cases, therapy includes understanding your childhood better, as well as past relationships. I am especially interested in family dynamics and the roles each member plays (golden child, black sheep, good parent/bad parent, etc). I work with many folks who are affected by a loved one’s addiction or mental illness, too. Exploring the past in therapy can help you get unstuck. Patterns can change, slowly but surely.

I recently became a certified breathwork healer, in the style of David Elliott. I’m excited to offer this experience to my clients! Breathwork is a somatic (body-based) therapy that works together with talk therapy. It combines a rhythmic breath with music and spoken words. The breath helps you bypass your intellect, get back into your body, work through emotions, and experience more self-love. If you’re interested, we can discuss bringing breathwork into therapy sessions.

My work also includes strategies drawn from internal family systems, dialectical behavior therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, psychodynamic theory, polyvagal theory, and mindfulness training.

My specialties include the treatment of anxiety; depression; grief; low self-esteem; parenting concerns (I’m a mom too); unhelpful relationship patterns; issues of midlife and older age; and family-of-origin issues like intergenerational trauma, conflicts, and estrangements.

Experience

I’ve been in the mental-health field since 2003, licensed as an LCSW since 2005. Before joining Balanced Awakening, I worked in community mental health. My past experience includes crisis intervention; intensive treatment for those with chronic mental illness; participation in research studies as a clinician; and most recently, psychotherapy for adults with a wide range of problems.