Services
- Individual
About My Clients
I work primarily with queer and trans folks, who are often feeling stressed-out, disconnected, and overwhelmed by life. I have a passion for working with folks who have experienced religious oppression or harm. We can sort through that anxiety, stress, grief, or heartbreak, to find you some peace and relief. Contact me for more info!
My Background and Approach
I know a lot, but so do YOU, so I always strive to be collaborative with my clients. Building self-compassion is a cornerstone of my approach. We are all so hard on ourselves! I am a secular-identified therapist, which means I keep religious practices out of therapy, but we might do plenty of discussing how religious practices may have impacted you or caused you harm and distress . I hold a psychology undergraduate degree from UC San Diego. My master’s degree (SDSU, Jan 2005) and professional license are in marriage and family therapy, so even though I don’t work with couples, my work with individuals often focuses on relationships with important others. I have a broad spectrum of experience including bereavement counseling, transgender mental health evaluations, intensive outpatient program, DBT skills teaching, and counseling military active duty and spouses.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
I’m a member of the LGBTQ+ community, and an atheist-leaning agnostic who grew up in the Evangelical church. I work to acknowledge my social privileges and I am learning how to call out and work to disempower the structures that enable those privileges. I love to learn, and I strive to maintain an attitude of curiosity. I believe self compassion is the key to progressing through many of our challenges. I also believe that safe and genuine human connection can be healing. I value integrity and authenticity. While you won’t get to know everything about me, you’ll get a sense of who I am. However, the boundaries I keep are just as important. Talk therapy involves an intentionally lopsided relationship, since it’s my job to take care of you and not the other way around.