With over 20 years experience working with children, youth and adults in their efforts to be more productive, loved, happy and powerful, I champion the role of being seen through the therapeutic relationship in both deepening our relationship to self and others as well as being in conscious effective action in the world. 

Research confirms ancient wisdom that the quality of relationships are connected to our optimal health and happiness.  With a focus on increasing empowerment, alleviating alienation, analyzing power dynamics, building community, expanding possibilities, and promoting wellness helpful to the reasons you are seeking support, my practices as a therapist are aligned with how the process of therapy can contribute to strengthening your relationships. 
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My overall approach is cooperative, relational and guided by your experiences - it is also worth noting a few areas of specialized training that influence me in our work together:

SYSTEMS
I am a family therapist - family systems as well as attachment theory greatly informs my work through both strengthening families and mitigating the impact of trauma on children and supporting adults draw on their familial experience where relevant in their desired development.  

Similarly, this perspective applies to all of us because of the impact systems, be them familial and societal, have on our functioning in the world.  Part of the therapy process is identifying systems that are resourcing and supportive as well as relying on the collaboration of the people in one's life to participate in the desired change process where possible.

TRAUMA
Traumatic stress results when a single or repeated experience 
​overwhelms ones ability to cope and impacts our emotional, physical, physiological, psychological, spiritual and interpersonal well-being.  Trauma can result from exposure to family and community violence, sexual and physical abuse,  neglect, loss or death of a parent, significant medical procedures and hospitalizations, natural disasters, wars and other types of political violence and inter-generational transmission of traumatic stress. 

Trauma can also be vicarious or secondary caused by being in a care giving relationship to trauma survivors.  In both professional and personal relationships, the caregiver can experience effects that disable their capacity for empathy - sometimes called compassion fatigue.  

I am committed to providing opportunity for mitigating the impact of trauma and strengthening the affected relationships such as reinforcing the parent-child bond, improving intimacy between couples, re-building self-love and re-connecting you to the work you are called to do.  ​

CULTURAL CONTEXT
The social, political, cultural and environmental influences on you and your family are part of the therapy process.
  
Across our diverse identities including race, ethnicity, ability, religion, gender, culture, class, age and sexual orientation, I recognize the influence of the systems of inequity and cycle of oppression in which these identities co-exist and believe part of our work together is interrupting this cycle.  

I also understand we do the best we can under the conditions we are given and because social in nature, these conditions can stress and distort the human experience.   It is the understanding of the interrelationship of material facts in which emotional and interpersonal life is lived and internalized oppression that supports the process of change.  

CREATIVITY, ART, PLAY
​​The source of innovation, creativity and play belongs to all of us and is incredibly resourceful to processing experience and emotions outside the norm of talk therapy. 

Utilizing expressive arts and play therapy practices, I create an environment where one has access to various art modalities such as painting, sculpture, movement and the therapeutic powers of play such as sand tray, clay, drama, puppets, art and creative visualization as a valued form of expression and helpful to preventing or resolving difficulties

EMOTIONAL AWARENESS
Emotions are a powerful resource we all have access to in service to both individual and relational health.  With the goal for our emotions to work for us rather than against us, this work offers opportunity to feel empowered by the dynamic range of your emotions: understand the significance of their origin and influence on your capacity to love and feel loved, utilize them to express yourself in ways where you feel heard and find wisdom in their ever presence. 

My experience includes work with groups, families, couples and individuals navigating:

• Difficulty expressing emotions: deep seeded fear, sadness, anger

• Grief and loss

• Familial, social and relational conflict

• Issues impacting the LGBTQI community including gender exploration
• Current and historical traumatic stress

• Dynamics of inter-racial and cross-cultural relationships
• Disruptive behaviors

• Anxiety and/or depression
• Decision Making​