I’m so glad you asked! My formative experience as a US Olympian, along with 20+ years of yoga practice and studio ownership brings with it a deep, integrated understanding of the mind-body connection that informs all of my therapeutic work. I acknowledge both the discipline required for change and the importance of moving at a pace that feels sustainable to your nervous system. I attune deeply to the felt sense in our work (both mine and yours) and situate this embodied knowing as part of our therapeutic work and wisdom. As a mother of two neurodiverse children, I also bring lived experience to supporting families navigating neurodiversity.

I work with individuals, couples, and family systems (both biological and chosen). My relational work focuses on nervous system regulation and attachment-based healing, with particular expertise in "mixed neurotype" relationships where partners regulate differently. I also support individuals working on relationship patterns, attachment healing, and preparing for healthier relationships.

I am trained to think relationally and systemically; this means that whether you are working with me as an individual or a relationship system, we will always be attending to the impact and wisdom of the inter-relational aspect of your experience and your being.

I've been there too! There are a lot of great therapists out there and not every therapist is great for everybody. If you've had a negative experience in the past - I want you to tell me about it. Often times, our 'nos' are how we get to yes. And, for what it's worth, if you are not feeling connected with me - I want you to tell me about that too. Your healing is most important to me.

First sessions are like first dates -- a bit awkward, squirmy, and definitely hopeful. Initial visits can open a lot as you walk through your story of your life right now. I take this seriously and with the utmost compassion and respect. My goal for you in our first session (and every session!) is that you have a place to land. My care room is outfitted with tactile and sensory supports to help you settle in and together we will work to find a rhythm and connection style that leaves you feeling regulated and heard.

It depends. Every time someone sees a therapist through a traditional Western model, they receive a diagnosis for the purposes of billing insurance. If you are requesting a Superbill, then this conversation will be part of our intake. Generally, I view diagnosing as one aspect of the picture; diagnosing can help systems talk to each other and can invite a rear-view sense of clarity and peace, which can be very important and helpful for clients. That being said, a diagnosis usually represents a moment in time, and DSM diagnosing is based on and about statistics, not the uniqueness of individuals. Further, traditional diagnosing tends to be defecit-based, one-sided, and based on Caucasian male-centered data; in my opinion, this leads to biases, errors, and sometimes even systems-based oppression.

Lastly, if you are seeing me as a relational-system (a pair or triad or other family unit) and using insurance to Superbill, one person will have to be the "identified patient;" in traditional western systems, this means that treatment goals and progress are mapped through that identified patient, which is an important piece to be aware of.

When we work together, all of these conversations will be explicit and collaborative. I hold your knowing, your identities, and your cultural contexts with the utmost respect and care. You will never receive any labels, diagnosis, or treatments from me without your full consent and understanding.

This is a great question! To be honest, therapeutic progress looks different for everyone. Sometimes, it can feel like a light switch and sometimes it can feel like a grueling hike. I am with you for whatever path you are traveling.

Ironically, sometimes feeling more uncomfortable is a sign of progress. When we arrive in therapy we are often guarded and protected by all our habits and stories that got us until now. Therapy often asks us to surrender these (or at least get curious about them) which can feel emotional and even destabilizing. This is the first layer of the work! I want you to bring your messiness into our sessions. It is in the mess that we can ultimately find clarity and a new path moving forward. Remember, my goal is not to change your life but to change how you see and experience your life. As Pema Chodron says - joy comes from the feeling that this situation is workable; something can grow here.

If you are feeling ‘stalled’ I want you to tell me; these conversations can be integral, as they help to deepen into your knowing and attune our work together. Separately, I will be capturing change metrics alongside our sessions based on your initial treatment goals. I know that sometimes when you are in the mud - it can be hard to see how far you’ve come.

My hope is to eventually work myself out of a job. That being said, life happens. Expect to address our initial treatment goals within the first six months of treatment. As things evolve, some clients change treatment goals and others move towards termination. Most weekly clients work with me for six to twelve months. That being said, if there is significant trauma or if we are working through significant relational patterns treatment timelines can change. I also have clients that move towards a monthly cadence for maintenance and accountability.

The loves of my life are neurodiverse. For me, being neuro-affirming is not a token or a search term - it's my entire life. (I actually wrote a paper about this in grad school.) Raising an autistic son, who I love with my whole being, has been one of the biggest awakenings of my life. I feel the dissonance of knowing on an intrinsic level that there was nothing 'broken' about my son, while regularly pinged by systems-at-large that things were 'problems.' Honestly, it was an emperor has no clothes moment for me. I have had to question everything from: 'why we school' certain ways to 'is this my discomfort or a problem?' This is on-going work for me that I center everyday.

I want you to know that I feel on an visceral level that differences are not deficits and I believe you when you say that you have been harmed and misperceived - you do not have to explain that to me. Together, we will center how you come, celebrate your resilience living in a paradigm that is often inherently activating, and find strategies to accommodate you in your life so you feel better.

I am sorry that anyone has to ask this question, and I understand why. Firstly, therapy should be a safe space for you. Even if you do not end up engaging with me, please know this. While at times uncomfortable, therapy should be a place where you can compassionately examine yourself; we can only do this when our nervous system feels held and grounded. If you are not feeling this in any therapeutic relationship (and you do not feel like you can address this with your therapist), then the relationship is not the right fit for your growth.

Practically, when I say I am affirming, I mean that I live in with open-heartedness for the full diverse spectrum of persons. There is no one right way to human. In addition to my personal relationships, I regularly consult with and am supervised by people that share different identities and social locations then my own. I have worked in trans-affirming care and have supported many clients that share different identities. I remain committed to centering and listening to voices from those that have direct, lived experience. I am not one to 'tell you how it is;' rather, I am one to deeply listen and reflect back as you find your way back home.

I want you to feel heard and understood in therapy. This means that the onus is on me to understand. Too often, people walking different (read: culturally 'non-normative') paths fall victim to tokenism or incomplete understanding; further, I've personally and professionally witnessed how people from minority groups often have to do the labor of 'educating' others.

It is not your job to get me to understand you -- it's mine. If I have questions about your cultural, religion, history - I will do my earnest best to gain knowledge from appropriate sources, so that our time together is fully and wholly about you.

Yes! I welcome involvement from those that support you in your life. If I am seeing you as an individual client - we can always invite in additional people when it is relevant to your healing. If it becomes evident that relational work is more relevant to your growth we will talk about it. I am trained to do both relational work and individual work. Please know though that I cannot ethically do on-going individual and relational treatment for an individual client. If it becomes clear that both supports are necessary and on-going, I will support you in finding a second provider that can walk with you as you heal.

It depends! While I love working directly with children, my experience (and the data!) has shown me that working with the family-system (aka -the grown-ups) is often more effective at creating nervous-system safety and, sustainable change. I would definitely *love* to meet your kid and if we are working as a family they will likely be involved. That being said, I am not taking on any individual clients below the age of fourteen.

At this time, I am not paneled with any insurance providers. I can provide a superbill (a fancy therapy receipt) for you to submit for reimbursement. (You might want to check in with your insurance to verify benefits.)

If cost is a concern - let’s talk. I always hold a few sliding-scale, low-cost slots available for clients.

No, I'm a licensed therapist, not a medical doctor, so I cannot prescribe medication. However, being part of the team at The Buddha's Medicine means that I collaborate in care directly with Dr. Matt Van Auken, MD who is a medical provider with prescribing privileges. If medication evaluation (or herbal medicine or supplementation) might be helpful as part of your overall treatment plan, we can include him in your care, as well.

The Buddha’s Medicine is an integrative medicine practice that aims to restore health and quality of living to people from all walks of life. By blending Eastern healing approaches with modern Western scientific foundations, they treat both present health conditions and the subtle imbalances underneath them.

If it is feeling like we are not a good fit - I want you to tell me! At best, these conversations can be highly therapeutic and healing. In the cases they are not, I will gladly help you find a provider that feels like a better match for you. Please do not worry about hurting my feelings or doing something wrong— those are all my pieces to manage!