My Approach and Values
Working Together Toward Enduring Change
Most people struggle with their mental health at some point in their lifetime. We all experience times where it is more difficult to cope with challenges and stay grounded in who we are and what matters to us. Reproductive health decisions, stressors, and events can create pressure, distress, and uncertainty. Cultural expectations related to reproductive experiences can make it even harder.
I create a non-judgmental, open-hearted space in therapy to explore one’s experiences with curiosity, use effective coping skills to address challenges, and live with greater ease, meaning and fulfillment.
Evidence-based care, tailored to each person’s lived experience and values
I specialize in providing cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs), including:
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD
Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) for OCD
These evidence-based modalities are effective and I use them flexibly to shape the therapy to each client’s needs and preferences.
My process of providing CBTs aligns with “third wave” CBT approaches that focus less on “fixing” thoughts and more on:
Non-judgmentally noticing patterns of thinking, feeling, and reacting
Understanding how those patterns influence behavior and well-being
Practicing new behaviors that align with who the client is and the life they want to live, even when those actions are uncomfortable in the short term
One way I describe this process is “you can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf” by Jon Kabat-Zinn. Building these skills in therapy can allow people to feel flexible and more steady in how they move through the world, rather than being held back by painful thoughts and feelings.
My work is rooted in my values of:
Openness
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Presence
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Collaboration
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Transparency
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Curiosity
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Openness 〰️ Presence 〰️ Collaboration 〰️ Transparency 〰️ Curiosity 〰️
My work is guided by core principles of:
Trauma Informed Processes
I believe therapy should be collaborative, respectful, and transparent. I view therapy as a partnership, and I prioritize clients feeling a sense of safety, agency, and choice in therapy. This includes:
Treating all people with dignity and respect
Explaining the therapy process before therapy begins, and providing information along the way
Collaborating on treatment planning, selecting strategies to practice, and checking in about pacing
Making space for feedback about clients’ experience with our work during sessions
Care should not feel like something happening to you. It should feel like work we are doing together
Culturally conscious, non-pathologizing care
I believe all behavior makes sense in context. We live within social, political, cultural, medical, and familial systems that can contribute to causing or worsening mental health concerns. I view responses to unsafe or unhelpful contexts as human reactions instead of character flaws. I bring humility and care to learning about each client’s context(s) and identities in order to personalize therapy to their needs.
I also believe in celebrating human diversity and challenging stigma and oppressive systems. I welcome conversation about culture, community, family structure, race and ethnicity, body size, sexuality, gender identity, health and (dis)ability, finances, and safety. I welcome discussion about how my identities interact with each of my client’s’ in this work together.
I believe that with commitment, community and imagination, we can work toward the liberation and self-determination of all people.
A passage that aligns with how I try to move through the world:
Five Vows, by Joanna Macy
I vow to myself and to each of you to commit myself daily to the healing of our world and the welfare of all beings.
I vow to myself and to each of you to live on Earth more lightly and less violently in the food, products, and energy I consume.
I vow to myself and to each of you to draw strength and guidance from the living Earth, the ancestors, the future beings, and our siblings of all species.
I vow to myself and to each of you to support you in your work for the world, and to ask for help when I need it.
I vow to myself and to each of you to pursue a daily spiritual practice that clarifies my mind, strengthens my heart, and supports me in observing these vows.