Welcome to BetterHelp! I'm grateful you have found your way to this safe space, and to counseling/companionship for whatever season you find yourself in. It takes strength and courage to reach out for support, and it is one of the most loving choices we can make on behalf of our own healing. I'm glad you are here!
I consider it a privilege to be invited to witness, support and share in journeys like yours, and I know how important it is to feel a sense of connection and comfort with the counselor you choose. So, here is a bit about me:
I believe a therapeutic relationship is a collaborative [ad]venture in which the therapist is a partner, companion and co-learner, those consulting with the therapist are the true experts, and healing is the process and purpose of the path they walk together. My clinical approach is inherently relational, deeply respectful, collaborative, dynamic, innovative, and holistic. I embrace flexibility, genuine curiosity, openness and honest dialogue as effective paths toward growth and sustainable change, and I am invested in co-creating person-centered, strength-based, trauma-informed healing relationships that focus on the dignity, strengths, wisdom, hopes, intentions, and lived experience of those who consulted with me.
I have found particular inspiration and guidance in the commitments, perspectives and practices of Narrative Therapy, which views every interaction as a cross-cultural negotiation and encourages the deconstruction of personal assumptions, social “norms,” and dominant cultural discourses. I have found Narrative Therapy particularly transformative within communities whose identities and experiences are marginalized, stigmatized or violated by dominant narratives and norms, with its unique commitments to exploring identity as socially constructed and purposefully examining the intersections of culture, social location, interpersonal relationships and personal values, commitments and intentions in every person’s journey. Over years of walking with persons of varied backgrounds, I have become deeply invested in Narrative approaches as an intentional way of bringing cultural awareness, feminist values and relational justice into my presence and practice as a social worker.
I bring more than fifteen years of direct experience walking and working with persons who have experienced trauma, substance abuse, addiction, systemic oppression and discrimination, institutional and interpersonal violence, poverty and homelessness, and struggles with stress, anxiety, depression, sleep, grief and loss, health and chronic illness, persistent pain, relationships, transitions, spirituality and self-care. I have worked in a variety of settings integrating Narrative Therapy with evidence-based clinical modalities including CBT, DBT, ACT, motivational interviewing, harm reduction, self-care and coping-skills training, psychoeducation, solution-focused and problem-solving therapies as well as holistic and spiritual modalities such as mindfulness, meditation, yoga, nature, and creative processes such as art and writing. I have a Master's degree in pastoral ministry and am able to integrate spirituality into my counseling work, as guided by those who consult with me; I am also a certified Reiki practitioner, and have been incorporating Reiki into my healing work for the past five years.
I also have a special interest in and commitment to the LGBTQIA+ community, having lived and practiced for many years in communities composed of persons identifying as queer, non-binary, gender nonconforming, gender fluid and with diverse relational orientations, organization of intimacies, and intersecting identities. As a self-identified member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I have personal experience with the language, nuances and complexities of holding and claiming these identities, and have been blessed to accompany people of all ages and backgrounds over many years as they explored questions of sexual orientation, gender transition, coming out to family members, and nurturing healthy relationships. I have also trained with the Fenway Institute's TransECHO program in the care and support of transgender individuals. I find that the compassion, openness, inclusion, resistance and resilience of LGBTQIA+ persons, and the queer community, inspire and support my authenticity and effectiveness as both a person and a therapist.
If you invite me to journey with you as a counselor, consultant and companion, be assured that your lived experience, personal goals and preferred directions will guide our work together, and that I will partner with you in identifying supports for the healing, growth and movement you are seeking in your life. I look forward to meeting you!
Additional areas of focus: LGBT, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Grief, Eating disorders, Sleeping disorders, Parenting issues, Anger management, Self esteem, Career difficulties, Compassion fatigue, ADHD
PA LCSW CW019146
MA LICSW 118962
CO LCSW CSW.09925973