What I Do

 
 

People typically come to therapy when something is not working in their lives.

And usually, by the time people get to me, they’ve tried a lot of things to try to find relief. They’ve thought about the problem a LOT. They may have talked it over with friends or family. They may have started avoiding situations that bring up uncomfortable feelings or troubling memories. They may have started using drugs and alcohol, or sleeping all the time, or working long hours, or bingeing TV shows to disconnect from an unpleasant reality. I’ve yet to meet a client who hasn’t tried, in some way, to make themselves feel better. The problem is that all too often, our efforts to cope end up making things worse.

Where do you actually want to go?

I pull from a lot of different theoretical orientations, including feminist, psychoanalytic, and existential traditions. But the overarching framework that directs me as a therapist is acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT. ACT encourages us to get clear about what matters in our lives — our values — and then develop strategies that move us in the direction of these values. Those strategies including learning how to tolerate uncomfortable feelings, unhook ourselves from limiting thoughts, accept reality, and engage in the present moment. ACT doesn’t wait for us to start feeling better before we start living differently; it invites us to start taking action now.

If you’ve been to therapy before and have found that talking extensively about your problems didn’t solve them, ACT might be the approach for you.

In addition to ACT, I’m also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, or EMDR. EMDR is an evidence-based treatment that was developed to treat PTSD. While it can be very useful for the things that we consider to be major traumas, such as car accidents, assaults, and childhood abuse, I also find it helpful for any issue that just feels kind of emotionally stuck — things that we can think about rationally but still have seemingly irrational reactions to.

What I Treat

One of the things I love about both ACT and EMDR is that they’re so flexible; they’re effective treatment approaches for a wide variety of mental health concerns. Here are some of the ones I treat most frequently:

  • Mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder

  • Anxiety disorders, including panic disorder and phobias

  • Trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder

  • Life transitions (divorce, relocation, job loss, retirement, etc.)

  • Grief and loss

  • Feeling lost, stuck, directionless, or confused about your path

My Specialties

I work with people struggling with any of the issues listed above, but these are some things I’m particularly passionate about:

  • Social justice - My practice is rooted in principles of social justice. Many of my clients seek therapy because of their experiences with oppression and/or because they’re doing their own anti-oppression work. I acknowledge the very real impact of oppression on mental health and I provide therapy with that in mind. I also acknowledge my privilege and perspective as a white, cisgender woman, and I am happy to discuss how that can impact the therapeutic relationship at any point in the process.

  • Gender-affirming care - If you’re trans, genderqueer, non-binary, agender, questioning, or otherwise not cisgender, welcome! I love supporting clients who are dealing with gender issues, from people who are just starting to ask questions to those who have fully transitioned — and everywhere in between. I’m a member of WPATH and am knowledgeable about gender and the transition process. I will respect your name, gender identity, and pronouns, even if they’re different from what’s on your legal documents. I also write letters of support for clients seeking gender-affirming medical treatment.

  • Affirmation of alternative sexualities - If you’re LGBTQ, on the ace/aro spectrum, non-monogamous, kinky, or doing something else that might confuse your grandma, you’re in the right place. I’m not a certified sex therapist, but I am a sex nerd, and I love working with clients who are forging their own sexual paths.

  • Neurodiversity-affirming care - While I don’t consider myself an expert on autism or ADHD, I’ve worked with many, many clients who have these diagnoses. I strive to provide a welcoming and non-pathologizing space for people whose brains work a little bit (or a lot!) differently. If you need to avoid eye contact, fidget or stim, sit on the floor, or otherwise unmask and be “weird,” my office is a safe place to do it. I encourage self-acceptance and self-advocacy while also supporting clients in learning skills to help them navigate a neuronormative world.

  • Support for creatives - As a writer myself, I understand the intimate connection between creativity and mental health. If you’re struggling with perfectionism, procrastination, imposter syndrome, or creative blocks, I’d love to partner with you in finding ways to get unstuck and start creating again.