I studied at the Kinsey Institute- a renowned school for the study of sexuality and gender. This lead me to specializing in counseling LGBTQIA2S+ people, as well as people in alternative relationship models (ethical non-monogamy/polyamory). I like to offer support for all kinds of forms of love: everything from conscious monogamy to ethical polyamory and radical relationship anarchy. I combine the knowledge from my years of personal experience with my training as a relationship therapist. As a new mother who struggled in postpartum, I’m passionate about working with people experiencing perinatal issues.
My therapeutic style is informed by intersectional feminism and social justice, seeking to collectively dismantle systems of violence and oppression. I believe many of the dis-ease in our lives is rooted in a normal response to a broken system that is then pathologized and stigmatized. I believe any distressing behavior is a symptom of a deeper-rooted need that needs to be addressed rather than the cause of the concern.
I utilize shame reduction, harm reduction, and self-reparenting techniques. I have an eclectic and intuitive approach that invites collaboration with the inner healing intelligence of everyone I work with.
My approach is to address the core negative self-beliefs (often established in early childhood) that adversely impact one’s relationship with self and others. I believe that given an accepting, affirming, and nonjudgmental space, people can gain the courage to remember their own inherent worth, reclaim their inner wisdom and empower themselves to make changes. In my work, I often discuss the systems in which we are all operating in, how they impact us and how we might impact them. I am also passionate about psychedelic assisted therapy and view these medicines as sacred tools that can help us gain new insights into ourselves, the world around us.
My story
I’ve been practicing in mental health agencies since I received my masters degree in 2011. I felt that sometimes corporate policies made it difficult to meet my clients’ needs so I decided to start a private practice where I could have more autonomy over my schedule and caseload which would allow me provide the quality of mental health treatment I knew I was capable of.
Ensuring that there are other quality clinicians in the field is also important to me. I believe in helping other practitioners reach their goals and therefore, I wanted to establish a practice that would allow for associate level therapists to obtain the experience and supervision they need to become independently licensed. It’s important to me to create an environment that empowers the staff as much as the clients. I am qualified to provide clinical supervision as well as consulting or coaching therapists starting their own private practice.
Since starting this practice 7 years ago, we have grown exponentially. We now have a robust internship program from master level therapists and doctoral students. We have worked hard to create a program that challenges therapists and clients to grow. The thing I love most about this work is that we’re continually learning and growing. The best clinicians are those that maintain a growth mindset and are constantly taking what they learn in their own work and share that wisdom with clients, who are seen as fellow travelers on the path of life. I love knowing that the work I’m doing on myself is not separate from the work everyone else is doing on themselves. We heal in community and we are stronger together. Seeing this practice grow from the creative efforts of not only everyone who works for TCA but all of their clients is such a potent reminder that together we can do more than any of us can do alone, and it’s a lot more fun that way too!