MY APPROACH

I offer individual therapy for adults of all ages and backgrounds. I am particularly passionate about supporting individuals navigating grief and loss, the effects of relational trauma, life transitions, and mood disturbances.

Working from a trauma-focused and relational perspective, I primarily draw from Internal Family Systems (IFS), alongside somatic, cognitive-behavioral, and mindfulness-based approaches. Therapy with me is tailored to the individual — meeting you where you are and honoring the whole person.

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AREAS OF FOCUS

  • Loss touches all of us — whether it has accumulated over time, arrived suddenly, or settled in as a quiet ache that makes daily life feel heavy. I am here to help you with:

    Relational Loss - the loss of a loved one, pet, or relationship
    Sudden or Traumatic Loss - unexpected loss or loss under sudden, violent or distressing circumstances
    Ambiguous Loss - grief that lacks finality or clarity due to psychological or physical absence, or is related to life transitions
    Disenfranchised Loss - grief that is not acknowledged or validated by society and has “no name” (what was unreceived, missed or what slipped through your fingers)
    Anticipatory Grief - grieving associated with impending loss due to illness, physical or mental decline, or life transitions
    Complicated Grief - intense, long-lasting grief that interferes with daily life and is unchanging

    Grief is dimensional and layered. Grief therapy is the process of making room for the full range of what you're carrying, integrating loss into your life, so you can restore your capacity for presence, joy, and connection. This work asks us to build tolerance for sitting with pain — something we do together, carefully and at your pace.

    There will never be a good reason we lose what we love, and there is no “moving on” in the grieving process. But there is a reason we are still here. I approach grief therapy from a hopeful, trauma-informed, and relational place, utilizing techniques from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and narrative therapies.

  • Relational trauma, also referred to as complex or interpersonal trauma, refers to the emotional, physical, and psychological effects of cumulative or chronic exposure to traumatic or neglectful relationship experiences.

    Relational trauma includes but is not limited to:

    • Childhood verbal, emotional, physical, or sexual abuse

    • Neglect, chronic disconnection or household dysfunction

    • Sexual assault & violence

    • Narcissistic & psychological abuse

    • Religious trauma

    • Systemic or organized abuse

    • Institutional and interpersonal discrimination

    • Bullying or harassment

    When we are hurt by others, our sense of trust, safety, and hope becomes impacted. Relationships that should feel comforting can instead feel anxiety-inducing, confusing, or unsafe. Sustained trauma shapes our beliefs about ourselves and others, our capacity for emotional regulation, and the way we live in our bodies.

    I approach trauma therapy from a relational, phasic model — drawing from Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic therapies, and cognitive-behavioral models.

  • Emotional unrest and mood disturbances are often a normal response to stress, disruption, and life transitions — not a sign that something is fundamentally wrong with you. This may present as anxiety, depression, burnout, emotional instability, self-esteem struggles, relationship difficulties, chronic dissatisfaction, or a persistent feeling of being stuck.

    Therapy for these experiences provides a safe, non-judgmental space to get to the root underneath. It is a collaborative process that helps you build coping skills, improve emotional regulation, and develop a more compassionate and authentic relationship with yourself.

    I approach this work from a person-centered and relational stance, drawing from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), somatic therapies, and mindfulness-based approaches.

  • The first session is dedicated to getting to know you. We will review your intake information, discuss in more depth what has brought you here, and identify your strengths, supports, and goals. Early sessions focus on collaboration, building coping skills, and developing a treatment framework tailored to your needs.

    Therapy with me reflects a phasic model of treatment. The initial phase centers on building tools for self-regulation and safety, and beginning to understand the different parts of your inner world and what they have been carrying. This foundation is essential before moving into deeper traumatic processing.

  • Internal Family Systems (IFS) is an evidence-based, compassionate therapeutic model developed by Dr. Richard Schwartz. It views every human being as a system made up of distinct "parts"—each with its own perspective, feelings, and role.

    Some parts, called exiles, carry painful experiences and the burdens associated with them. To protect the system from being overwhelmed, other parts take on protective and reactive roles to help you function and ease the pain. Crucially, every individual also has a core Self—an innate, undamaged source of calm and compassion.

    IFS works by helping you build a relationship between this Self and your protective parts to understand their role in your system, then eventually supporting the exiles in releasing their burdens. Once these burdens are released, the Self—which remains completely intact no matter what you have been through—can naturally emerge and lead the system. I draw from IFS-informed principles across all of the work I do.

  • Somatic therapy uses a "bottom-up" approach—working with the body and nervous system rather than starting with thoughts and cognition. Stress and trauma are often stored physically, and when the nervous system is stuck in fight, flight, freeze, or fawn, thinking and talking alone may not be enough to shift what you are carrying. In session, this can look like slowing down to notice what's happening in your body and working with those signals as part of the healing process.

    I draw from a modality called SomEx℠, which understands that our stories are held in the body and that healing can involve completing or discharging somatic experiences that were too overwhelming to fully process at the time. I also integrate Polyvagal Theory, which helps us understand how the nervous system moves between states of safety, mobilization, and shutdown, and how to work with these states rather than against them.

  • I utilize techniques from:

    Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
    CBT focuses on the connection between your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. It helps you identify and reframe negative thought patterns, equipping you with practical tools to navigate anxiety, depression, and stress.

    Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
    ACT helps you clarify your core values and take meaningful action toward them. Through mindfulness and acceptance skills, you can develop psychological flexibility, allowing you to move through pain rather than fighting it.

    Mindfulness-Based Practices
    Mindfulness involves anchoring yourself in the present moment with non-judgment and curiosity. Integrating these techniques helps you observe difficult emotions safely, reducing their impact and expanding your overall capacity for presence.

    Existential Approaches
    Focuses on the deeper questions of meaning, purpose, and identity. This approach treats anxiety and life transitions not as symptoms to be fixed, but as opportunities to cultivate personal agency, clarify your choices, and live a more authentic life.

COMMON QUESTIONS

“There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.”

- Maya Angelou

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