Specialities & Areas of Focus
-
LGBTQIA2S+ Support
-
Attachment, Developmental, and Family of Origin Based Trauma/Harm
-
EMDR and Trauma Reprocessing
-
Activist and Organizer Support
-
Identity Based Trauma
-
Anxiety and Persistent Worry
-
Support During a Time of Major Life Transition(s)
-
Grief and Loss
-
Recovery Maintenance for Substance Use
-
Coping with Traumatic Life Experiences
-
Polyamorous/Multi-amorous Affirming and Positive
-
Kink/BDSM Affirming
-
Sex Worker Affirming
"Freeing yourself is one thing. Claiming ownership of your freed self is another."-
Toni Morrison
My Approach to Therapy & Education
My personal healing journey, along with my education and training over time, greatly informs my approach to supporting others.
I utilize a trauma-sensitive framework to healing and education. I value intersectional and inclusive care that is honest, authentic, compassion driven and oppression-informed.
I believe in the healing of personal, intergenerational, and collective/community trauma, so that we can better care for ourselves, each another, and the land that we currently occupy. I believe that trauma is political and that many of our experiences of trauma stem from the impact of existing in oppressive systems. I believe that we carry the pleasure and the pain of our personal experiences, along with the trauma and the resiliency of our ancestors, in our bodies. I believe that we all innately desire healing and increased self-awareness, through a shift in perception and powerful introspection. I believe that we are all capable of doing the hard work of learning more about ourselves so that we can grow and evolve. I understand that we feel more capable of doing this work when we are with people we feel safe enough with and can trust. I hope to be a safe enough space for those who choose to collaborate with me in their healing journey.
Over time, I have come to understand and accept that I will not be the best fit for every client who reaches out to me, and that's completely okay. I am not meant to be a best fit for everyone...nobody can be all things for all people. We are all so very different, with nuanced needs, and it's important that we find spaces we can be grounded and feel supported in.
With that being said, for the folx who do choose to work with me, my approach to therapy is rooted in Somatic and Mindfulness-Based Practices and Awareness. I invite clients to participate in therapy in an embodied way, with awareness of thoughts/cognitions and how those thoughts have been impacted by direct and vicarious trauma.
Acknowledging and honoring the various identities one can hold is an important way to honor ourselves and each other, and is at the root of my the work I do with clients. Who we are shapes the way we perceive ourselves and the way we are impacted by the systems we exist in. It also informs our values, community engagement and beliefs, and relationships with others.
I utilize a variety of strategies from a range of therapeutic modalities, including Narrative Therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), DBT (Dialectical Behavioral Therapy), CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and Somatic Based Practices. More information about these specific modalities can be found here.
I aim to offer support in identifying the challenges and concerns that trigger and activate emotional distress. During our work together, we will also explore efficient, effective, and accessible coping tools to best manage that distress, that aren't solely rooted in the commodification of self-care.