How I Work
At its heart, I hope to build a strong working relationship with people and be curious about them. Beyond that, my approach in therapy generally focuses on people’s rich and complex lives. I focus on how people experience and express their emotions, paying particular attention to times when this seems blocked for them. I help people explore life patterns, with an eye on supporting people’s freedom and flexibility. I also pay close attention to the relationships and experiences people have with others, as these shape who we are. Finally, I always consider people’s social context, such as cultural identity, family history, socioeconomic background, education, and experiences of exclusion and inclusion.

This appreciation for the complexity of a person’s life is reflected in my practice’s logo and central image, the striking trees found along the Oregon coast. Those trees adapt to the extremes of the sea, weather, and land to ultimately become these beautiful, distinct, and lasting organisms. I feel like they are great emblems for life. 
    
If you are interested in which models of therapy inform my work, my approach adopts elements of contemporary psychodynamic practice, existential psychotherapy, motivational interviewing, cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness, and organizational/systems theory. Even with this, I believe that people come first. A psychological theory or therapy is only a map; people’s lives are the real landscape.

My Background
I am a Licensed Psychologist in the state of Oregon (No. 2908). I graduated with a Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers University in 2015. I completed my pre-doctoral internship at the college counseling center of the University of Nevada-Las Vegas. I also graduated with a Masters in Psychology from Seattle University in 2008. I have worked in the mental health and social services field since 1996 through a variety of settings: psychiatric hospitals, community mental health clinics, an AIDS service organization, college counseling centers, a child-maltreatment center, and a mobile crisis response team. Throughout these places, I most commonly worked with people facing some form of crisis in their lives, and I helped people of all ages and from various cultural and socio-economic backgrounds. I had training experiences and work that specialized in trauma, serious mental health issues, immigration issues, and sexual health and risk. 

I am currently gaining academic and clinical experience to specialize in Sex Therapy, and I am a member of AASECT (American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists).

You can find more information about my experience and education here.