Courage. Curiosity. Compassion. Clarity
The best therapist knows that healing starts with asking you the right questions!
My style
I’m relational, engaged & grounded.
While I don’t shy away from being direct, I’m more interested in asking you the right questions.
You’ll find me practicing Curiosity….Often!
I’ll use questions to help you examine old beliefs or look at behaviors that hurt you from a new lens while modeling how curiosity and compassion can help uncover answers within you that are made clear as you begin to let go of things that aren't working for you.
People feel safe to take risks, when they feel seen, listened to and understood. I bring myself fully to sessions. I use warmth, humor and a transparency about what it's like to be imperfectly human.
I'm committed to listening and providing an affirming, inclusive and safe space for people of all backgrounds and identifies.
It’s the moments of your life between sessions where lasting change happens
People I work with typically come to therapy expressing feeling lost, frustrated or stuck. They’ve tried a lot of things to feel better or do the thing they know they should do, but are having a hard time hard time turning insight into action.
I help people take a closer look at these “stuck points” as an amazing opportunity to cultivate true and lasting change. Underneath the frustration if often key information about why efforts haven’t worked in the past, and we’ll use this as place to inspire new and creative solutions.
Collaboratively, we’ll work together to find strategies that work for you.
Learning how to quiet the worried mind
Learning self-regulation skills to tame feelings of anger, shame or sadness
Building the self-confidence to break the cycles that keep you small
Setting boundaries and putting yourself first
Discovering what gives your life meaning and a sense or purpose
Accessing the parts within you that can soothe your nervous system during times of stress, anxiety or fear
Resolving childhood wounds or past relationships that keep you from living authentically
Our sessions are a place for you to be safe in the vulnerability that comes from this kind of self-inquiry, but the richest opportunities to change happen in the moments of your life between sessions.
Anxiety
Depression & Burnout
Low self-esteem
Perfectionsim
College Students
Life transitions
Grief & Loss
childhood Trauma
Ketamine Therapy
My Modalities
I’m trained in depth-oriented psychotherapy & mind-body therapies that encourage an awareness of the connection between thoughts, behaviors, emotions, and bodily experience while offering practical and empowering tools.
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Acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT therapy) is a type of mindful psychotherapy that helps you stay focused on the present moment and accept thoughts and feelings without judgment while taking committed actions or decisions toward whats most important to you in life.
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Internal Family Systems (IFS) is a therapeutic approach that works with the complexity of the human mind. IFS is based on the premise that we all have different "parts" within us, each with its own unique thoughts, emotions, and beliefs. Often through wounding, these parts have learned how to protect us and keep us safe which lead to strategies like avoidance, people pleasing, self-criticism - just to name a few! However, bring curiosity and understanding to these parts can be deeply healing and transformative.
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Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy combines the ideas of traditional cognitive therapy with awareness of the present moment through mindfulness practices. It teaches you how you can get unstuck from negative thought loops and emotions.
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Compassion-focused therapy helps you cultivate compassion and self-acceptance as you look at experiences or beliefs that are causing you shame and self-criticism. Research has shown compassion and self-acceptance are powerful antidotes and to improve mood and reduce anxiety and depression.
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Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) is a skills-oriented approach helping you how to manage or “regulate” painful emotions and limiting self-sabotaging behaviors that can harm relationships. While I weave DBT skills into my approach, I do NOT offer comprehensive DBT therapy or coaching for those seeking that level of support.
More about me
My Path
I’ve always been curious about other peoples’ stories. After reading a psychology textbook in middle school, I was hooked and knew I wanted to become a therapist. Yet, once I went to college, like so many 20-somethings, I was myriad in self-doubt, afraid about “making it in the real world”, and confused about whose expectations I was following. Around this time, I learned about mindfulness which was a game changer. For the first time, I understood how my thoughts were running the show of my life. I was anxious, overwhelmed and paralyzed by overthinking. I'd lost connection to myself and what I wanted. While it wasn’t an easy or linear path, over the next few years, I found the courage to follow the voice deep inside that told me I felt most alive in connection with others. I moved to San Francisco, and enrolled in graduate school to study counseling psychology, committing to a career helping others unlock the teaching and gifts of mindfulness.
If I weren’t helping people redesign the landscapes of their internal worlds, I’d likely have a career in home and interior design. I have a small textile habit and love creating cozy spaces that reflect a sense of who I am. I also adore animals. I have two Australian Shepards and a cat who sometimes join my sessions. They keep my heart light and my feet active!
Approach Foundations
Mind-Body | Mindfulness Therapies
Relational & All People Affirming
Coping Skills
Trauma-Informed Care
Training & Experience
I’ve been fortunate to work in a variety of interdisciplinary settings from large research universities, hospitals and healthcare technology startups. These spaces have afforded me the chance to work with and learn from visionaries and leaders in mental health research and care.
I started my therapy practice in San Francisco in 2014 and worked at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF) for over 15 years where I received advanced training in evidenced-based therapies for depression, anxiety and trauma.
For the past five years, I helped to develop and test an App-based mindfulness program for depression and anxiety. More recently, I’ve been certified in animal-assisted psychotherapy and get excited exploring and learning about alternative mental health therapy approaches.
Bachelors in Anthropology | Boston University
Masters in Counseling Psychology | CIIS in San Francisco
Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy Facilitator | UCSF
Dialectical Behavior Therapy Group Facilitator | UCSF
Acceptance & Commitment Therapy Training
Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy & Internal Family Systems
Trauma informed Care
Animal | Equine Assisted Therapy Certification
Licenses
I’m able to offer online therapy to individuals residing in these states
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LMFT #61131754
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LMFT #90728
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LMFT #T1570
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LMFT #0001566
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LMFT #203471
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LMFT #1229-124
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Telehealth License #TPMF1231