Please note: I am not able to accept new clients at this time.

Approach

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As a Marriage & Family Therapist, what makes my style of therapy unique is the specific focus on the “systems” at play in a person’s life. That means I’m not only looking at what is going on inside a person’s mind that is shaping their reality, but give equal consideration the context, relationships and cultural influences that all greatly impact their holistic well-being. Often, it’s these systemic influences that create the very messages we carry that are so destructive to how we view ourselves and our world, and more often than not, block our path forward towards positive change. 

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While I will always be a supportive and kind presence, my style as a therapist is not passive; part of my job as your therapist is to notice things you haven't yet - to help you see patterns in thinking or in interactions that often serve to maintain the problem areas that brought you to therapy. I will sometimes gently challenge you, and ask you to explore areas that might be keeping you stuck. We work collaboratively to move you through the problems that brought you to therapy, and build on what you want your life to look like. I often assign “homework” that is related to what we’re working on, because I love your commitment in sessions, but I also want you to be working hard for yourself between sessions, too. One hour of therapy a week or every other week is not enough to make change – you need to be implementing those small changes in your day-to-day to make the progress you want. I can support you in that, but I cannot do it for you. Often the “homework” is a question prompt for you, or sometimes it’s practicing a certain skill – but it will always be aimed at helping you make progress towards your goals, so it’s worth the investment on your part.

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As therapists, we generally don’t share a lot about ourselves with our clients, and that’s because therapy is all about you. Sessions are your space, and wholly about you so that we can focus on moving you through what you came to work on. That being said, it’s also been widely proven in the research that the quality of the relationship you have with your therapist is vital to the success of therapy. You need to feel comfortable in the relationship, so that you can be honest with your therapist and speak to those challenging issues that you need to work past. So, in honor of that, here are a few tidbits that might help you start to get a feel for the kind of person I am:

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At the risk of being too Pacific Northwest, I really do love hiking and backpacking. It’s one of my favorite things about Washington State and I can’t wait till it’s hiking season each year.

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I didn’t get to travel outside the US a lot as a kid, and I love to now. I love being immersed in other cultures and seeing things I never have before. I always learn something new about myself when I travel.

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I love a good 90’s rom-com. They just don’t make them like that anymore.

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I am a dog and cat person, and have a very fluffy cat, named Scout.

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I love a good book, and am currently reading a lot of science fiction. I also love short stories.

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Earlier in life, I worked for a fabulous group of Midwives before I became a therapist, and I was very influenced by their dedication, strength and compassion. My time there helped me figure out that I wanted to support others in expanding their choices and ability to live the life they wanted. It also helped shape my focus on women’s issues in therapy, as well as the focus on family and importance of relationships.

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I hope that helps give you a jump start in getting to know me a little, too. If you’d like to check out my education background and what makes me qualified to help you, check that out just below.