Services
About My Clients
I truly do not have an “ideal" or preferred kind of client. It is special when I get to support folks who have shared experiences or identities in common with me. However, I have had meaningful connections & rewarding experiences working with folks who are very different from me, with varied needs & desires from therapy. I love getting to engage in this work with (& learn from) all kinds of human beings, and I know that I can be effective & helpful for folks who I share less in common with.
My Background and Approach
I was trained in a humanistic, client-centered approach many years ago, & then more recently as a social worker (a program focused on intersectionality, feminist/ relational/ psychodynamic/ attachment perspectives). My approach is informed by my own experiences of being a therapy client, working w/ different therapists throughout my life. I was not diagnosed as neurodivergent (AuDHD) until late in life, & much of what felt so difficult in therapy was due to Autistic & ADHD traits that were going unrecognized. I am sensitive to folks who have had unhelpful experiences in therapy due to therapists not being able to willing to be flexible, or able to adapt & accommodate what might work best for an individual client. I enjoy helping folks figure out for themselves how they would like therapy to be, what to focus on, what kind of support they want (& do not want), & discovering ways to provide that help - whether that's solution focused, teaching skills/ tools, or supportive listening.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
therapy - what it is (for), what's should be happening, what a therapist should be doing - these perspectives are unique to every individual. I hope that therapy can be what the client feels they need, & an experience that feels useful, beneficial, & not harmful for folks who engage in it. I could never promise a client a "safe" space, or that I'm a "safe" person - only the client knows what feels safe. I try to cocreate a safe(r) (safe enough) space for folks to feel able to engage in this work. Clients are the experts on themselves & their lived experiences - they should be trusted & believed. Therapy offers a unique space where folks can take up space, and ask for support, in a relationship that is only focused on them, & one in which no one needs anything from them. Taking that time to do that for ourselves is an act of self-care, messaging to ourselves that we are worth the time, space and effort - if only to slow down & check in with ourselves in the company of a caring witness.