As a therapist, I will work with you to recognize and access your own inner wisdom to figure out ways forward through difficult challenges. I have a Master of Science in counseling from Portland State University and was trained in the marriage/relationship track from a systems-based perspective. I see a person’s challenges in the context of the family, community and other systems they’re a part of.

I did my graduate internship at Portland State’s Center for Student Health and Counseling. I also have specialized training in Internal Family Systems, a psychodynamic, trauma-informed approach that considers each of us made up of different parts, which can be in harmony or polarized — just as a family is made up of different people who don’t always get along. In IFS there are some phrases I like such as All parts welcome and No bad parts.

My approach also includes a somatic focus on how emotions and feelings can show up in our bodies. My couples’ work is informed by Emotionally Focused Therapy. The quality of our attachments in adulthood is important to our sense of security and safety and sometimes we can get locked in unhealthy reactive patterns with romantic partners. By understanding the emotional subtext of these patterns, we can find release and figure out new ways of engaging.