About

There’s a structure to the way I do healing work. At the beginning of each session, we’ll always engage in some kind of settling practice, where you get to slow down and turn inward. It’s from this place that we do some deliberate agenda-setting, so that you can exercise some choice and practice speaking up about your needs.

And, once you’ve had ample time to tell me about whatever it is, because that’s a SUPER important, foundational part of therapy - building empathy and trust - I’ll be aiming/nudging us towards using a method, like IFS (internal family systems). All that means: there will be times in the session when you slow down, notice your body, maybe close your eyes. It’s going to be different than “how was your week?” and you’re off.

I LOVE SYSTEMS!! And I have many of them for starting with a new therapy client, including assessment, goal-setting, visioning, and bringing together all the things that are important to you for us to address while we’re working together.

During the course of our work together in therapy, three times a year, you’ll fill out a form about how you are doing. Taking a step back together allows us to see how far you’ve come, and make deliberate choices about continuing our work together and what that will look like.

At the end of every single session, I’ll ask you what you might want to do between now and next session. This is because there is ample, research evidence about the value of practice, generally and specifically in therapy: that people who get change, and what they want out of counseling take some active steps in their lives, outside of the 1 hour a week in session.

Not only that: you’re going to be updating me on how your in-between session stuff went via a shared doc, writing a sentence or more, each week before we meet. Whether it’s think do this, try to remember that, practice this, say that…it’s gonna be something!

Before each session, you’ll fill out a form about how you are feeling. After each session, you’ll report on how that has changed or not, and how the session was for you.

This practice allows me to get a sense of how you’re doing in many areas, very quickly. It also provides me with feedback, which is very important to me. This feedback facilitates my learning about you, and becoming a better therapist, in general and specifically for you.

There’s the research that gives us good reason to believe that people who do things and think things in-between therapy sessions have better outcomes and get to the changes they’re wanting, faster. And then there’s also that I really think it leads to more of a sense of empowerment with your mental health and getting to that place of confidence in yourself.

All told, my processes and systems require a commitment of at least 20 minutes outside of the 55m in-session time each week.

Some people simply don’t have the space or energy in their lives for that extra effort, and for others, it’s just not their cup of tea. The vast majority of therapists have no such procedures; their flavor and method of serving tea is less involved. So think about you preferences, what sounds good to you, and what you’re up for.

Finding someone with a process that makes sense to you and sounds like it will be helpful is an important part of finding a good fit.

If you have already been down this road, or have been researching this, or just have a lot of mental health and therapist know-how, here are the technical terms for the method to my medicine:

As an overall treatment model, I use TEAM therapy, which is the brainchild of David Burns, MD. Within that model, which is eclectic in nature, I employ methods primarily from Internal Family Systems (IFS), Motivational Interviewing, and Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). I also incorporate a lot of mindfulness and somatic techniques. It’s important to me to apply trauma-aware and anti-oppression perspective and training.

This is my favorite blend of medicine because it fits with my values. Most people have experiences of adversity, trauma, and/or oppression, and, like it or not (we don’t like it), it impacts us. This is the best way I’ve found to work with the hurting parts of ourselves with understanding and validation, and bringing forward your values and what works for you.

The trainings that have been most influential in my clinical work have been about the TEAM therapy method, IFS (internal family systems), healing trauma, and Intuitive Eating.

I earned my masters of science in social work from Columbia University in NYC. Shout-out to them: here was where I first learned about white privilege, in 2008. My identity as a social worker - thinking about social justice, oppression, and the systems that impact us all - is very important to me.

I am proud of starting my higher education at a community college, and I finished my undergraduate degree at University of California, Irvine.

I feel SUPER comfortable talking about all things bodies and sex as a result of working for Planned Parenthood for 7 years, starting in college, first in the clinic and then as a health educator. Try to shock me or gross me out with body stuff, I dare you.

Taking it ALL the way back: I started my “career” as a helper doing conflict mediation as a PAL in high school. And even before that, I was a well-intended and meddlesome friend, staying up too late talking on the phone with her friends about very important matters.