Approach
I practice relational, trauma-informed, insight-oriented psychotherapy, with special care to the intrinsic connection of mind, body, and heart. I believe in therapy, we can ultimately build a relationship that offers you:
Space to show up just as you are
Safety to sink into yourself
Dynamic connection to enliven your perspective
Freedom to shift and shape your reality
Methods
Together, we explore and make meaning of your past, present, and future. I will encourage you to tune into your rich internal experience, and cultivate curiosity and compassion towards all parts of yourself. We may use our relationship to understand and enhance how you relate to others. I can also offer suggestions to help you build comprehensive self-care and ease distressing symptoms in your day-to-day life.
My approach is primarily informed by extensive and ongoing training in psychodynamic, attachment based therapy and Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy, and supplemented with skills derived from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT).
Values
I believe we cannot adequately address individual mental health without acknowledging the collective and complex role of our society and culture. I am attuned to systemic inequalities and intersectional social injustices. I am committed to my own learning and challenging of racism, classism, gender, sexuality, and body politics, and use this knowledge in how I understand myself and others.
Food, exercise, and body image
I practice from an anti-diet and weight-neutral, Health at Every Size approach. I like to shine a light on how food, exercise, and body image affects our mood and overall life satisfaction.
I believe our society is significantly impacted by diet culture, and that many people have developed a disordered relationship with food and/or exercise. This is often derived from seemingly positive intentions of keeping oneself “healthy” or attempting to be a “good” person. In reality, engaging in diet culture often creates distance and discord in other aspects of your life, and can morph into significant anxiety and distress. If you find yourself fixated on food, obsessed with exercise or degrading your body, we can explore that together.
I have extensive experience working with teens and adults who have been diagnosed with eating disorders and welcome folks who have that history. In my outpatient practice, I work best with individuals who have established experience in recovery, and want to explore the roots of their eating disorder and resolve underlying emotional pain and trauma.