Services
About My Clients
As I have a positive, creative approach to healing, the folks most attracted to how I work will have a similar perspective. I believe that life happens for us, not to us. This does not mean that I dismiss horrific suffering. Not all all. But rather, I want to explore how we can learn and grow from the events that we have endured. The lush vegetation that emerges from the compost is an appropriate metaphor. Without the compost, it would be impossible to grow to our fullest potential.
My Background and Approach
BFA in painting and writing from California Institute of the Arts in CA. My MA is from Southwestern College in NM. I attended the painting program at Otis/Parsons in CA as well as studied Expressive Arts Therapy at Lesley College in MA. Also, I am a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional through Evergreen Certifications. I have studied and practiced curanderismo - traditional healing methods - and am a partner dance instructor. Creativity, curiosity and a belief in deep transformation are at the core of everything I do, especially my approach to therapy. I see therapy as a profound adventure of discovery. I would say that my personal trials and tribulations are as useful, if not more so, to my university education. I also believe that your trials have served you, though it may take some work to see that. This approach makes me more Solution Focused as I invite you to pull out the gems within the rough material. I see the world through a Both/And lens, never Either/Or.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
Having been a life long student of the school of hard knocks, I have come to value each individual's unique journey of be-coming. One main influence has been The Work of Byron Katie. Her emphasis on personal empowerment through taking responsibility for one's choices has profoundly influenced me. As a survivor of complex trauma, I left my body at an early age. It took years of hard work and dedicated creativity for me to begin to remove myself from the perpetrator/victim/rescuer dynamic and experience myself as a sovereign being. There are many therapeutic approaches that depend on seeing the client as a victim of life but I choose to see your sovereignty first and foremost, regardless of what "has been done to you." And in fact, it is your own School of Hard Knocks that has made you into the incredible person you are today.