I have worked in the Mental Health field since 2011. I started this journey as a Wilderness Therapy Field Instructor, where I lived and worked with adolescents in crisis. I quickly fell in love with this work, and the characteristic humor, resilience and challenge of adolescents. After 3.5 years of experience in that role, I pursued a Graduate Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. After Graduating, I then worked as a Wilderness Therapist for 5 years. This time has had an enormous impact on me as a person, and clinically informs the way that I work with my clients. I developed a collaborative and family-system oriented approach designed to get beneath individual symptoms and to address the underlying wounds fueling those behaviors. I’m not interested in giving answers, but in witnessing and helping you discover your answers.
My Therapeutic Approach is rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Motivational Interviewing, and Internal Family Systems. I incorporate elements of Gestalt Therapy and Mindfulness Practices into my work when appropriate. I have designed my approach to be in line with current research supporting best therapeutic practices, while also honoring the inherent human complexity that is so rich in the therapeutic relationship.
Research in Attachment Theory shows that our experiences of caregivers in early life has a profound impact on our self-esteem, ability to regulate emotions, and tolerate intimacy. Psychotherapy has been proven to be a powerful tool to address the neurobiology of attachment, and to heal the wounds from these ruptures.