My Approach and Values

Working together toward enduring change: Evidence-based, open-hearted therapy to live with greater meaning and ease

Most people will struggle with their mental health at some point in their lifetime. We all experience times where it is more difficult to cope with challenges, cultivate meaning, and stay connected to who we are and what matters to us. Reproductive health decisions, stressors, and events are often layered with cultural norms and expectations, uncertainty, and identity questioning.

I hold space for my clients to be with these challenges with curiosity and compassion. Therapy is a non-judgmental, collaborative space to explore and address challenges in order to live with greater freedom and fulfillment.

About my approach: Evidence-based cognitive behavioral therapies

I specialize in providing third wave cognitive behavioral therapies (CBTs), such as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Prolonged Exposure (PE), and Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP). These evidence-based modalities are highly effective and can be personalized to my clients’ needs and preferences. Rather than traditional cognitive behavioral therapy’s focus on changing thoughts and feelings, third wave CBTs focus on:

  1. Mindfully observing patterns of thinking and feeling, in order to understand how these patterns tend to influence behavior.

  2. Supporting people in identifying what is most important to the person in their life and following that “north star” by trying out new ways of moving through the world.

These therapy modalities balance acceptance and change processes, such as: 1) validating the realities of each person’s present challenges, 2) noticing what they may and may not be able to change, and 3) practicing ways to enhance their psychological well-being without being held back by painful thoughts and feelings.

One of my favorite metaphors for this process is “you can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf” by Jon Kabat-Zinn. This translates into active and brave work trying on new behaviors during therapy and outside of sessions. Cultivating skills to embody the life each person wants to live can lead to greater freedom and flexibility in life, even when doing so is stressful. 

Tailored to each person’s lived experience and values

I use evidence based-approaches with flexibility for a personalized approach to care. Every person has their own set of life experiences, and it is valuable to consider the complex interplay of factors that impact our well-being (e.g., in personal, community, cultural, structural, societal domains). I seek to understand these factors as intersectional in the context of each clients’ life. This can help tailor treatment to so therapy feels most effective.

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:

  • I value my clients feeling a sense of agency and choice about their therapy experience. In practice, this can look like:

    • Treating everyone with dignity and respect.

    • Providing information during the informed consent process and throughout treatment.

    • Promoting clients being active participants in their care by collaborating on treatment planning. providing feedback about the treatment process, and selecting skills that resonate and work within their day to day.

  • I provide care that is tailored and collaborative, by integrating clients’ cultural identities into the therapeutic process. Understanding each person’s context and worldview is important in the process of therapy. I try to bring humility as we incorporate this into therapy.

    This also looks like non-pathologizing care. All behavior makes sense in context; our societal and political conditions can contribute to the onset and/or worsening of mental health challenges.

  • I believe it is important to recognize and celebrate diversity in the human experience. I welcome working with people that have experienced minoritization, exclusion and/or discrimination related to aspects of identity such as: race/ethnicity, culture, LGBTQIA+ identities, visible or invisible (dis)ability, body size, relationship and family structures, and financial resources. I offer space to explore experiences of oppression, and welcome discussion about how my identities interact with my clients’.

    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.