A humanistic approach
Healing is the process of connecting to your truth and learning that it is safe to do so.
In my practice, I emphasize the healing nature of relationship and safe connection. This is not a service where something is done to cure or fix you. Rather, there is a safe therapeutic container built by the space and by our connection that is meant to help you explore yourself how you need to.
T rauma Processing
While I think education and tools are important (and I will offer these things to clients on a regular basis) they only go so far. Coping skills are not met to be life savers, but they are there to help when processing the root of traumatic experience.
When something traumatic happens, memories and information about that traumatic event aren't fully stored in ways that are available consciously. This is why people that have been through trauma often have symptoms like physical pain, memory loss and/or unwanted behavior. In trauma therapy, this is understood and instead of intellectualizing and analyzing symptoms, body based interventions are used to address the root cause.
The Wisdom Of The Body
Client & Counselor
There are many levels of relationship that I visit with my clients for their healing, but the relationship between client and counselor is the most important one to focus on first because it sets the stage for everything else. This includes building trust and comfort in the space.
The challenge of Vulnerability
The nature of the therapeutic experience should allow clients to be in charge of their proximity in relation to their therapist. Just as any close relationship should go, the therapeutic one is about deciding if, when and how it feels okay to be vulnerable. For some people, the relationship with their therapist may be the first time in a long time they have shared such a level of trust because interpersonal trust has been broken due to a pattern of past harm. Therefore, I consider any expression of any vulnerability to be brave and I respect what may be taking a real risk.
You are the expert of You
I view clients as the experts of themselves and value that because of this, they are their own best advocate. If a client doesn’t know what they need but I sense they need something, we will pause and explore it. As the client, you are always in the driver's seat!
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I understand the validity in all perspectives and help people validate their current perspective while opening up to new angles.
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I invite and encourage healthy and positive conflict resolution, as I understand that sometimes it is normal to need to get on the same page… I believe successful conflict resolution is incredibly rewarding and an important feature of healthy relationship building that people haven’t often felt safe practicing.
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I expect that both myself and my clients show up as imperfect. I have found this to be vital to an effective healing process of relationship.
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Meet Gatsby
My office's beloved dog, Gatsby, brings joy and comfort to both myself and my client's with his wagging tail and gentle nature.
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"You are the sky- everything else is just the weather."
Pema Chödrön
Current background
• Clinical Counseling based graduate program
• Art therapy based graduate program
• 100+ hours of supervision by an art therapy supervisor
• Internal Family Systems (IFS) Level 1
• Coaching with Spirit with Guthrie Sayen
• Coaching with Spirit with Guthrie Sayen Intermediate
• Basic Intimacy From the Inside Out (IFIO) IFS Level 2
• Strengthening the Basics IFIO
• 30+ hours of ongoing IFS Consultation
• 40 hours of Basic Eye Movement Desensitization training
• 75+ hours of Instinctual Trauma Response Training
• Basic Fluency training with Journey Clinical for Ketamine Assisted Therapy
• Emotional Support Animal Letter writing training
• 200 hour basic yoga teacher training
• 100 hour trauma EMBER yoga based trauma training
• Certified IFS Therapist, Licensed Professional Art Therapist, And Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor