Theoretical Approaches
First and foremost, I want to acknowledge that the physical and mental healthcare system in the US has been used to pathologize healthy human experiences of emotion, neurodiverse functioning, and different cultural expressions for centuries. We live in a sick world, therefore it is only natural to feel sick in body, mind, and spirit. As a therapist it is never my intention to support my clients in adapting to their oppression. I hope to raise awareness of conditions of life, find ways to increase internal resilience, and identify opportunities to change external systems to disrupt the harm they are causing, not simply to cope with it. Finally, because we do not become ill in isolation it only makes sense that we cannot heal in isolation. I believe that individual therapy can be a valuable and effective place to start, but without broader connection there is only so far that process can go. I encourage clients to engage in physical healthcare, reunite with the natural world, and build community as we work together.
Somatic
I do not buy into the duality of body and mind. While the things that have traditionally been associated with the mind—beliefs, stories, thoughts at large—are valuable, they do not operate in a vacuum separate from our bodies—nerves, muscles, organismic impulses and needs. I blend the practices of more contemporary Western somatics with the wisdom of healers across cultures who have always known to tend to the bodymind, and whose knowledge is only being validated by new research, not discovered. My practice of somatic psychotherapy emphasizes the importance of our bodily sensations, breath, and movement. I also incorporate EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) into sessions, which helps to metabolize charge and unlearn limitations efficiently.
Relational
Counseling is not about me, and yet there I am, for every minute of every session. Recognizing the counseling dynamic as an important relationship plays out in several ways. It means having a consultation call to make sure we are a good fit. It also means that I may have to earn your trust before you feel safe, or I may share my own emotional reactions and human experiences in session when helpful. Ruptures may occur between us, which provide the opportunity to practice repair—a priceless skill and process that is necessary for being in relationships and community.
Feminist
As an intersectional feminist counselor I acknowledge that cultural forces and constructs, such as gender and race, operate on an axis of power and oppression that contribute to individual and collective experiences of injury. Addressing intersectional layers of identity and history is an important part of my feminist approach. As a white, able-bodied, queer person that is part of a capitalist healthcare structure, I am not immune from these systems, and we may discuss how your and my identities interact with one another, and how your individual intersections are impacted at large. I am always seeking to actively decolonize my practice and my person.
Get to know me more
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Get to know me more 〰️
I identify as a white gender-fluid person and my pronouns are they/them. I’ve lived throughout the Pacific Northwest (AK, OR, WA) and I have a deep love for the land I’m a visitor on. I pay Real Rent to the Duwamish tribe, whose present and ancestral land I currently live, love, and work on. You can too.
Some things that make me feel grateful to be alive are: close cribbage games, disco balls, live music, learning new languages, and being in the forest. Skills I want to learn: sewing my own clothes, herbal medicine, and carpentry.
I’ve worked as a barista, a program coordinator for public health programs, a housing case manager for folks living with HIV, and residential counselor at a drug treatment center for women facing incarceration. I received my BA in Psychology in 2015, and MA in Professional Mental Health Counseling (with a specialization in Addictions) in 2022. I am a Professional Counseling Associate in the state of Oregon, and a Licensed Mental Health Counseling Associate in the state of Washington, receiving supervision from Roza Skenderova, LPC/LMHC.
I have pursued continual education (w/o certification) in Somatic Psychotherapy, the Alexander Technique, movement therapies, Somatic Experiencing, and somatic Internal Family Systems. I draw upon the work of Wilhelm Reich, Resmaa Menakem, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Mariame Kaba, Peter Levine, and many others as I develop my practice, and count each of these people as a part of my professional lineage.