My work is open and welcoming to any adults (18+) living in California who might resonate with my offerings. I especially enjoy working with deep-thinkers, intellectualizers, artists, creatives, LGBTQIA2S+ folx, and other individuals who may not be particularly stoked on life but who are nonetheless committed to sticking around. I especially enjoy working with folks who have a lot to say and are self-directed (though this is by no means a requirement!). I love peering into and discussing the darkness of our existence; however, I am excited to work with anyone with whom the vibe is right, and my work by no means solely focuses on darkness. Humor and joy are important, too!

Therapy needs are unique--what concerns will feel most beneficial exploring in therapy is personal to you.

That said, here's a non-comprehensive list of topics/situations that arise often in my work:

• Dysfunctional family systems (emotionally immature parents/caregivers)

• Intellectualizing

• Self-compassion, people-pleasing, and self-advocacy

• Developmental trauma (C-PTSD)

• Trauma (intergenerational trauma, PTSD and systemic oppression)

• Identity concern

• Grief (ambiguous loss, anticipatory loss, death, dying, terminal illness, vicarious loss, pet loss)

• ADHD (adult-diagnosis)

• LGBTQIA2S+ identity, relationships, and support

• Existential crises/climate despair

• Capitalism-related issues: burnout, despair, work dissatisfaction, consumerism, money anxiety, environmental despair, anti-capitalism

• Depression (especially existential depression)

• Alzheimer’s/dementia caregiving

I appreciate and attempt to adhere to NICABM's description of a trauma-informed therapist: "a trauma-informed therapist understands the prevalence and widespread impacts of trauma...It was trauma expert Resmaa Menakem, MSW, LICSW, SEP who said that 'Trauma decontextualized in a person will look like personality.' So to truly understand how trauma is impacting a client, we need a shift in focus from 'What’s wrong with you?' to 'What happened to you?" (NICABM -"Trauma-informed Care")

From the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Organization (SAMSHA): "Trauma-informed care (TIC): TIC includes an understanding of trauma and an awareness of the impact it can have across settings, services, and populations. TIC views trauma through an ecological and cultural lens and recognizes that context plays a significant role in how individuals perceive and process traumatic events, whether acute or chronic. TIC involves vigilance in anticipating and avoiding institutional processes and individual practices that are likely to retraumatize individuals who already have histories of trauma. TIC upholds the importance of consumer participation in the development, delivery, and evaluation of services." (SAMSHA - Trauma-Informed Care in Behavioral Health Services)

"Principles of Trauma-Informed Care (from NICABM's "Trauma-Informed Care", originally published in "SAMSHA: Key Ingredients for Successful Trauma-Informed Care Implementation"

The guiding principles of trauma-informed care include:

1. Safety – This is perhaps the most predominant principle of trauma-informed care, as a lack of safety could result in retraumatization. The physical setting, along with the interactions between client and clinician, must feel physically and psychologically safe . Every client comes with their own unique triggers and responses to trauma, so it’s up to the therapist to establish safety and continually monitor that the client feels secure in session.

2. Trust and Transparency – Many people who have experienced trauma live in a constant state of uncertainty or mistrust , so it’s critical to build and maintain a trusting relationship with clients. Part of this includes being honest and transparent about the goals of treatment. Explaining to clients the type of care you will be providing can go a long way toward earning their trust.

3. Peer Support – For clients who have experienced trauma, interactions with other trauma survivors can often foster hope and promote healing through a sense of common humanity. Sharing their stories can help to establish safety, build trust, and enhance collaboration.

4. Collaboration – In addition to letting clients know about types of treatment and outcomes, therapists should let clients play an active role in decisions regarding their own treatment. This collaboration between client and clinician allows the client to take responsibility for their care and needs while working with the clinician to determine the best treatment plan. This process also helps to balance the level of power between clinicians and clients.

5. Empowerment & Choice – Clients should be encouraged to share their stories while being listened to and acknowledged. While recognizing that their voice may have been diminished or silenced in the past, it’s important to allow them to speak their truth and give them control over their own story.

6. Cultural, Historical, and Gender Awareness – Being aware and respectful of the differences that exist between yourself and your clients is important to ensuring their comfort and safety during treatment. The cultural needs or requests of each client should be accommodated, and therapists should avoid making assumptions about a client’s cultural or gender identity."

Your individual therapy experience will be unique to you and your needs but typically involves some combination of: processing and exploring your understanding of your world, validation and empathy for your concerns and challenges, psychoeducation (AKA me providing info about the clinical/psychological/theoretical research and ideas related to your story and what you're experiencing), exploration of coping skills, and the support of being seen and heard in your complicated, human authenticity. Oh, and also maybe some humor or talk about pets, cookies, or other more playful conversations ('cause, ya know, heavy stuff is heavy, especially if you don't allow a reprieve here or there!). What is meaningful and exciting to you is important here!

You may simply be seeking kind, empathetic support from a therapist you vibe with. Excellent!--I love that and love working with individuals who, either by reading my various spiels or connecting with me, feel that my services might be a good fit for them. I'm excited to explore whatever you might be navigating when we consult to see if I can meet your needs.

My personal experiences in psychotherapy have taught me that an authentic, compassionate relationship with a therapist can be monumentally supportive and meaningful for folx across a wide variety of situations and identities. As such, my therapy work centers on the belief that authentic relationships and acceptance of our identities create fertile ground for growth, change, understanding, and (with any luck) healing. So, a large part of what I provide is the space to explore that type of relationship and support.

Check out the “Rates” page for current pricing information.

Most individual sessions are 50 minutes. Longer sessions are available on a case by case bases and as scheduling allows, for an increased rate.

Typically we start with weekly sessions whenever possible. I believe the work is best facilitated with a weekly schedule for a multitude of reasons and is often most useful at at the start.

Some exceptions cans be made for bi-weekly or more sporadic sessions, however they are approved on a case-by-case basis. Less frequent sessions can be an option (again on a case-by-case basis) after a consistent number of weekly sessions.

I employ a number of therapy modalities and theories in my work including (but not limited to): existential psychotherapy, relational Gestalt therapy, attachment psychology, feminist theory, parts-work (IFS/Internal Family Systems), strength-based approaches, and trauma-informed/trauma-focused/PTSD and C-PTSD care. What modality/skills are the focus depends entirely on you and your needs.

In looking for a therapist, you'll likely run into a lot of jargon-y psychology speak (see additional questions below!) about therapeutic orientations, working styles, and approaches. Here's the jargon and what it means to me:

I offer relational, trauma-informed (trauma-sensitive), existential, and compassionate psychotherapy. My approach is active, collaborative, and humorous/playful (when appropriate and comfortable!).

What does "relational psychotherapy" mean?:

Relational psychotherapy sees the value (and arguably prioritizes) the relationship of the people in the room as a primary force for change or growth. Allowing yourself to be seen fully and authentically in an empathetic space and learning to trust the support of such a relationship can set the stage for healing and meaningful growth. To me, relational psychotherapy also means that I refuse to pretend that I am not also a human attempting to navigate the same world you are. At the end of the day, we are people relating to each other.

What does "trauma-informed mean"?

I appreciate and attempt to adhere to SAMHSA's concept of a trauma-informed approach: "A program, organization, or system that is trauma-informed realizes the widespread impact of trauma and understands potential paths for recovery; recognizes the signs and symptoms of trauma in clients, families, staff, and others involved with the system; and responds by fully integrating knowledge about trauma into policies, procedures, and practices, and seeks to actively resist re-traumatization."

What does compassionate therapy work mean?:

When I say my approach is compassionate, I mean that I hold space for your story and your reality with empathy and care. Therapy can be challenging, uncomfortable work! You deserve support and compassion on your journey. That doesn't mean I'll never challenge you in our work, but I will hold you with care to the best of my ability and prioritize empathy for you.

What is an active, collaborative, and humorous/playful approach?:

When I say my approach is active, I mean I am not the type of therapist who might sit silently every session. It means I am actively listening, reacting non-verbally, engaged, and present in our conversation and back and forth. Certainly, there will be times when I don't say much at all, but I typically prefer to work in engaged conversations and dialogue when supportive.

When I say collaborative, I mean that I want your input in our work! Is it working for you? What do you like or not like? What's supportive? How can we work together to get you what you need? What is supportive to you? Our work together should hopefully feel like collaborating with a supportive teammate.

A humorous/playful approach is probably self-explanatory, but essentially I look at it like: "Therapy is often hard work. Moments of humor or joy or playfulness are supportive and enriching generally, and the same is true in the therapy space." Does that mean everything can be made into a joke in session? No! But it means that, as a human person who often stares into the darkness, I enjoy lightening my space and life with humor and playfulness. It is authentically part of who I am—so if I am going to show up authentically and ask you to do the same, my jovial side can show up sometimes too. Moreover, it just means that just as there is space for heaviness in our work, there is space for lightness too.

What is existential psychotherapy?
Great Q! See the longer explanation in the FAQ below.

Existential psychotherapy can seem way more intense and scary than it often turns out to be, and for my purposes, mostly describes the lens I often like to view therapy work through. We definitely will not only be talking about/working with existential issues (unless of course that’s what you’d really like, in which case, great!)

Okay then, so like, what isit?

At its most distilled, existential psychotherapy is talk-therapy oriented around what it means to exist. But what does THAT mean? The framework I most closely align with suggests it means exploring the "ultimate concerns" of individual life: death, freedom, isolation, and meaninglessness. What is meaningful to you? How do you feel about your life and eventual death? How do you make meaning in a world in which you and everyone you know will die? If we are free to make our own choices and direct our lives as we see fit, what do we do when we need clarification on what we want or what is meaningful? So, you know, what lots of folx consider to be the "heavier" stuff.

What does that mean for our work together, and do we HAVE to talk about that stuff?

Nope, we don't necessarily! It means that for our work together, I'm often thinking about meaning-making in your life, what it means for you to be alive, how you grapple with grief/loss/death, and other various "existential-y" curiosities. If discussing these things vibes with the work you'd like to do, then let’s explore that! If it doesn't, that's totally okay too! We all still exist, and I'm guessing you might have some feelings about it. Existential psychotherapy covers a lot of feelings I'm personally oriented towards. That said, there's plenty of room for non-existentially focused work in the room.