About Me
I identify as a cisgender woman, queer, white, an immigrant to the United States, middle class and mostly able bodied. I do my own ongoing work about the ways these identities impact the therapeutic relationship and welcome discussion about this in our work together.
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My original training was in Mental Health Nursing and I received my Bachelor’s degree with this focus from King’s College in London, U.K. I worked as a nurse in an inpatient unit with adolescents for two years before immigrating to the United States.
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After arriving in the United States, my career transitioned to social work. I have since worked in a variety of mental health settings. I earned my Master’s degree in Social Work from Portland State University in 2013 and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in both Oregon and Washington.
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Throughout my time working in the mental health field, I have worked with clients with a diversity of life situations and experiences. I have worked primarily with marginalized populations, including clients experiencing poverty and LGBTQIA+ identified folks. I have had the privilege of walking alongside clients working through many different challenges including trauma, anxiety, depression, identity formation and relationship issues.
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Oregon license # L7185,
Washington license # LW 60705293
Philosophy
I believe you have the capacity to find the way of living that serves you best and work to help you to connect to this. I believe therapy is a collaborative experience between client and therapist, in which we both bring useful tools and experiences. The therapeutic relationship between us provides the safe, creative space to bring about exploration and change.
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I believe in working holistically and understand the mind-body connection is key in addressing emotional struggles. Through techniques such as mindfulness, we can learn to be present with all of our parts and find a more integrated existence.
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I am cognizant of the context that you come into therapy from and believe this should be very present in our work. Your unique cultural background and societal factors, such as power dynamics and oppression, are a key part of the picture that we work with in therapy.
How I work
I have a warm and collaborative approach, aiming to create a space where we can explore and be curious without judgement. At the pace that works for you, we connect with your different parts, get to know them and learn about your inner needs for change.
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I have received training in Internal Family Systems therapy and Hakomi somatic psychotherapy and these are the primary modalities I use in my work. I also incorporate aspects of Person-Centered Counseling, Dialectical Behavior Therapy and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I utilize all these modalities alongside psychodynamic and attachment based approaches and anti-oppressive practice in my therapeutic work.