I think most people when they go into therapy want to know a little bit about their therapist. It makes us feel more in control or as if we can predict things in a weird type of relationship that we sometimes don’t have context for.

As a therapist, I believe my role is to show up as a human and fill a very different relationship role than anyone else in your life can. While I genuinely care for all of my clients and often use nonviolent communication methods to provide in the moment relational feedback, this relationship is not about me and that allows me to show up that others in your life may not be able to.

My thinking as a therapist is informed by more than just my formal therapeutic training. As an undergraduate, I received a BS in Economics and a BA in International Studies with focuses in Environmental Studies and Japanese. I was focused on macro-economics and sustainable development, meaning I probably like math way more than most therapists and I also tend to think about issues and successes from a systems lens. What are the factors that lead people to be able to handle one situation but not another? What supports allow us to thrive?

I also began working in the outdoors after my own Outward Bound trip and found that when people engage with the world or an experience, there is a window that opens that allows us to shift perspective and grow and connect in a very different way. This led to jobs in education, therapeutic adventure, and eventually working wilderness therapy as an instructor, clinician and Assistant Clinical Director. During this period, I published research on secondary and vicarious trauma, developed my clinical approach to include mindfulness based work, EMDR, and somatic work along with nature and adventure practices, and developed training programs and supervision programs for frontline staff and clinicians. I continued to wonder, What helps us to thrive? How do we really process or move through hard things? How do we truly enjoy the good things in our lives?

Finally, as an adult, I have developed a passion for endurance sports. I am consistently in awe of the diverse set of people who choose to sign up for the age group categories for a race. It has further enhanced my views on resilience and grit. It has also developed my capacity for understanding being on the other side of the couch as I have navigated a significant accident and injury and the long recovery. This has all led me to further question and explore, What makes people do hard things? How do we face and embrace the challenges in our lives? Who do we keep close to us in hard times and how do we show up for others in their struggles?

Maybe you are a first responder or clinician or healthcare professional who consistently cares for others and you are finding yourself stuck, or maybe you are someone trying to figure out who you are and what the purpose of all of this is, or maybe you are the parent of an adolescent who seems to be sinking away from the person they want to be. If any of those are you or anything I have said seems like it might be valuable, reach out for a consultation so we can see if we might be able to work together to help you or your loved one feel more empowered, more connected, more grateful, or more at ease in your life.