My Approach

“The curious paradox is that when I accept myself just as I am, then I can change.” – Carl Rogers

My job is to help you improve your quality of life.

I believe that the therapeutic relationship is the primary vehicle for change and growth. I use a client-centered and strength-based approach. I am committed to creating an environment in which you can feel safe, heard, and understood. Using this relationship as the foundation for therapy, I seek to assist you in achieving insight and growth. I believe that you are the expert of your own life, and that my role is to hold space for you and facilitate the discovery of your own strengths.

I tailor my use of interventions and theories to every individual client, as each person comes in with their own unique background, strengths, needs, relationships, and goals. I generally practice with a mix of Mindfulness-based Cognitive Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Family Systems Theory. I believe it is important to understand the cyclical relationship between thoughts, feelings, and actions, and to practice mindfulness and acceptance in order to best cope with the challenges in our lives. Delving into and understanding past relationships can be essential to understanding and working on our present relationships; I will meet you where you are.

When someone says to us, as Thich Nhat Hanh suggests, “Darling, I care about your suffering,” a deep healing begins.”  ― Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha

I have experience working with clients who are LGBTQ, poly, kinky, and grappling with issues related to HIV/AIDS.  I work with clients experiencing a wide range of mental illness, including depression, anxiety, and bipolar disorder. I am particularly passionate about working with trauma, domestic violence, suicidality, gender-related issues and gender dysphoria. Often, marginalized people are bombarded with messages every day that tell them they are not worthy of health and happiness. I am aware of and sensitive to these realities; I do not pathologize diversity.

I believe that a healthy self-image, a strong sense of self-worth, a toolbox of healthy coping mechanisms, and healthy relationships are at the root of living a fulfilling life.

“Perhaps the biggest tragedy of our lives is that freedom is possible, yet we can pass our years trapped in the same old patterns…We may want to love other people without holding back, to feel authentic, to breathe in the beauty around us, to dance and sing. Yet each day we listen to inner voices that keep our life small.”  ―Tara Brach, Radical Acceptance: Embracing Your Life With the Heart of a Buddha

If you are experiencing a mental health crisis, please go to http://www.befrienders.org, where you can search for a crisis hotline based on the country you are in.

If you are in Georgia and experiencing a mental health crisis, please either call 911  or the Georgia Crisis and Access Line at 1-800-715-4225.

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline: 800-273-8255

The Rape, Abuse, & Incest National Network (RAINN) – 1-800-656-HOPE