Approach to Counseling
I strive for a collaborative approach to counseling with a framework constructed from humanism, existentialism, and attachment theory. I help clients to increase meaning by honoring their lived experience, identifying and honing their strengths and moving towards resonance in their life. I utilize behavioral and somatic interventions when they can help decrease suffering in the present or to help better attune to self. I utilize a narrative approach to help increase attention to the present moment, reframe stories, and experience increased freedom. I utilize humor, creativity, and my innate belief in the capacity to grow. Therapy can feel challenging at times. I try my best to meet clients where they are each session and tend to their needs at hand while holding the thread of bigger goals and desires. I strive to help clients be in the present moment and utilize past experiences as they show up in the present.
Personal History and Dominant Narratives
Dominant narratives in our families and in the greater collective can impact the way we choose to live our lives even when the stories do not resonate with our lived experience. Our past experiences can inform the way we show up in our lives in the present moment. Sometimes past experiences can cause humans to experience conflict in current relationships; struggle to communicate emotions effectively; trust that others will be able to meet our needs; cause us to utilize coping mechanisms that hinder our lives versus help them.
Grief and Loss
Grief is an inevitable part of life that is often unacknowledged and unaddressed at a collective level. Grief is often connected to early attachment wounds and the aftermath of living through traumatic events. People often walk through the world with feelings of grief and loss and feeling invisibly fragmented. Dominant culture does not make space for relating to the depth of the human experience or the non-linear process of grief. We may not always be conscious of why we suffer, but there is often a deeper thread to the experience.
Being Human
When emotions are not tended to, they can remain in the body and cause suffering. When aspects of our lives feel out of balance, anxiety and depression symptoms can show up as indicators. We regain balance in our lives by listening to our inner knowledge and by discovering ways to tend to emotions. We can feel alone while also striving for connection; we can experience the freedom to choose what we want for our lives while also being responsible for our choices; we can experience meaninglessness while seeking meaning.
"Out beyond ideas of wrongdoing and rightdoing there is a field. I’ll meet you there.”
— Rumi
Services
Anxiety
Depression
Life Transitions
Identity Exploration
Grief and Loss
Career Exploration
Meaning and Purpose
Stress Management
Cultural Competency
Our intersectional identities are an integral part of our life experiences. I strive for practicing cultural humility and anti-bias in my personal life and in my work with clients.