My Philosophy

A therapist, an educator, and a fellow traveler.

I have always been deeply curious about people.

I'm interested in what makes us who we are - the stories we carry, the relationships we create, the ways we protect ourselves, the things we desire, and the choices we make about how we want to live.

People are complex. Relationships are layered. Life is full of nuance. And I like it that way.

I don't think there is one right way to be a person, have a relationship, or build a life.

How I Practice

I'm warm, collaborative, and direct.

I take my work seriously, but I don't believe therapy needs to feel stiff or clinical. I want you to feel like you can bring your whole self into the room - the polished parts, the messy parts, the parts you're proud of, and the parts you're still trying to figure out.

I'm not a passive therapist who just nods and asks, "and how does that make you feel?".

I'll listen carefully. I'll ask difficult questions. I'll point out patterns I notice. I'll offer perspective when I think it could be useful. Sometimes I'll challenge you. Sometimes I'll slow things down and help you be gentler with yourself.

Sometimes I'll tell you the hard thing, but I'll do it gently.

I see myself as part of your support system, but I'm also here to help you move forward. You may come to me because something is difficult right now, and I want to meet you there- to understand where you are and help you feel supported in that place- while simultaneously holding a vision for where I can see you going.

We'll decide together what you're working toward, and I'll keep that bigger picture in mind even when things feel hard.

I can hold where you are today and where you're trying to go at the same time.

And sometimes I'll tell you that I don't know.

Because therapy is a relationship, and I don't think I need to pretend to have all the answers.

I'm a Therapist and an Educator

Teaching has always been an important part of my professional identity.

I've taught social work and counseling students, supervised beginning clinicians, provided education and consultation to practicing therapists, and taught medical residents and interdisciplinary teams.

I love taking something complicated and making it understandable. I love the moment when a concept suddenly clicks, when a clinician sees a familiar problem from a different angle, or when someone realizes they have a language for something they've been struggling to understand.

Being an educator also keeps me accountable as a clinician.

Teaching means I have to keep learning.

Years of Learning. A Very Full Toolbox.

I've spent years learning as much as I can, refining my clinical skills, and building a broad, evidence-based toolbox so that I can be as useful to my clients as possible.

My training spans couples therapy, sex therapy, trauma, and a range of evidence-based approaches for depression, anxiety, PTSD, and a host of other struggles.

But I don't believe in using a modality simply because I know how to use it.

The work should fit you.

Different people need different things at different points in therapy. Sometimes you need practical skills. Sometimes you need to process what happened. Sometimes you need to understand a relationship pattern. Sometimes you need someone to challenge you. And sometimes you need a place where you can simply stop holding everything together for a while.

My job is to draw from the tools I've spent years developing and figure out what is actually useful for you.

I Believe in Curiosity

I'm genuinely interested in how people think and why we do what we do.

I'm open-minded, and I try to approach people without assuming that I already know what their life, relationship, sexuality, family, or values should look like.

I believe people deserve the freedom to build lives that are meaningful to them.

My job isn't to decide what that life should look like.

My job is to help you figure that out for yourself - and then help you move toward it.

I Take This Work Seriously

I built my practice very intentionally.

I chose to create a smaller, boutique practice because I don't believe excellent therapy comes from seeing as many people as possible. I carry a caseload that I feel I can genuinely manage well, while leaving room in my life to continue learning, teaching, connecting with other clinicians, and being a whole person outside of my work.

That balance isn't an afterthought.

It's part of how I practice ethically.

One of the things I work on intentionally is my own regulation.

Therapy asks a lot of us as clinicians. I want to be able to sit with difficult stories, complicated emotions, sexuality, trauma, conflict, grief, and uncertainty without becoming overwhelmed or emotionally unavailable.

So I take my own capacity seriously.

I make space for rest. I pay attention to my nervous system. I move my body. I spend time outside. I read. I learn. I connect with people I care about. I seek consultation.

I've also cultivated a strong network of clinicians and other professionals who I collaborate with, learn from, and refer to when someone would benefit from a different kind of expertise.

Because when you are with me, I want to be fully with you.

I don't want you sitting across from someone who is mentally calculating how many clients they still have that day.

I want to be present.

Finding the Right Fit

There is something almost a little magical about finding the right therapist.

The relationship matters. Feeling understood, respected, safe enough to be honest, and able to work collaboratively can make an enormous difference in therapy.

And that means something important:

I won't be the right therapist for everyone.

And I genuinely don't take that personally.

If we talk and you don't feel like I'm the right fit, I'll happily help connect you with someone who might be better suited to what you're looking for.

I have a strong network of colleagues whose work I respect, and I'm always more interested in you finding the right person than in convincing you that it should be me.

Because ultimately, I want you to do good work, not necessarily to do that work with me.

I'm Alongside You

I don't see myself as someone standing outside your life with all the answers.

I'm a traveler alongside you.

You know your life. You know your history. You are the person who has to live with the choices we talk about in this room.

I bring clinical training, experience, perspective, and a pretty extensive toolbox.

You bring your lived experience, your values, your intuition, and your knowledge of yourself.

Together, we figure out what helps.

Sometimes that means looking backward and understanding what happened.

Sometimes it means getting very practical about what needs to change right now.

And sometimes it means looking forward and asking a much bigger question:

What kind of life do you actually want?

A Little About Me

Outside of therapy and teaching, I'm someone who loves being alive and experiencing the world.

I love traveling and being reminded that there are so many ways to live a life. I love nature, movement, a good cup of coffee, and getting outside and remembering that the world is much bigger than whatever is happening inside my own head.

I'm an avid reader and lifelong learner. Psychology, relationships, sexuality, trauma, philosophy, culture, anything existential - I'm interested in all of it.

I'm especially drawn to philosophy because some of the most interesting questions in therapy aren't just psychological.

What makes a life meaningful?

What does it mean to live well?

How do we live with uncertainty and impermanence?

I don't expect therapy to answer all of those questions.

But I think they're worth asking.

And perhaps most importantly, I have a deep love for people.

Human beings are messy, contradictory, funny, resilient, strange, generous, and capable of extraordinary connection.

I think that complexity is worth honoring.

I don't have life figured out. I'm still learning, changing, questioning my assumptions, and figuring out what kind of life I want to build. I'm not standing on the other side of some imaginary finish line telling you how to live.

I'm a fellow traveler.

I've simply spent a lot of time studying the map, learning how to navigate difficult terrain, and helping other people find their way.

And I'm honored when you let me walk alongside you for a while.