Services
About My Clients
I work with adults of every gender and orientation, navigating the full complexity of adult life. Whether you are in your twenties and figuring out who you are; in midlife and reckoning with what has been and what still might be; or moving through later decades with their particular weight and gift. Some part of every person’s heart can feel like the vagabond — not quite at home. Whatever you’re facing, you deserve empathy and curiosity that honors your story and the courage to live fully.
My Background and Approach
My journey to counseling was not a straight one — and I believe that has made me a better therapist. After years as an educator and in construction, I attended The Seattle School of Theology & Psychology, earning my MA in Counseling Psychology in 2012. I worked three years at Atlantic Street Center in Seattle’s Rainier Valley, working with families of color, mostly in school settings. Simultaneously I worked with graduate counseling students to facilitate individual and group interpersonal development. Those varied experiences developed in me a broad and genuine respect for the range of ways human beings struggle and grow. My work is grounded in relational psychotherapy that understands who we are and how we struggle through the lens of relationship. The patterns that shape our lives grew from our earliest experiences. What once helped us survive has often become what holds us back. The therapeutic relationship is where patterns can be felt, reflected on, & gradually transformed.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
Growing up in a ‘good’ family, left me wondering what was wrong with me that I was struggling. Religious faith had promised a thriving life and yet despite my adherence I was suffering. The journey to address the growing shame required a painful deconstruction that came with deep fear of being shunned. While my reorientation brought me back to a different version of my faith, it is not my desire to map out the same path for those who meet with me. Neither is it to solely work on religious issues, but rather to address the narratives we’ve believed about our life, family, and identity that may keep us from recognizing where there has been emotional neglect or abuse that has led us to believe something is wrong with us that has filled us with shame. I am passionate about being a witness to the inner life of an individual to become aware of and process the ways in which they have been wounded in order to facilitate their inquiry into how to reorient and move towards being fully alive