my approach
Therapy with me means investing in your own growth and knowing that achieving deep, lasting, and transformative change is possible. I believe in nurturing the therapeutic relationship and building a foundation of trust so that we can do deep, courageous inner work. I take the time to understand your unique complexities and history so that I can offer you a clear, targeted roadmap to healing and symptom relief. I see a limited number of clients in order to provide you with the deep attunement, attention, and quality care you deserve.
I am trained in Internal Family Systems Therapy (read more about IFS below), a somatic mind-body approach that helps you to access the internal "parts" of yourself in order to shift patterns that are no longer serving you, build inner trust, and heal deep emotional wounds, leading to increased clarity, confidence, and harmony in your relationship with yourself and others. Through the IFS lens, there are always reasons why we feel the way we do; in other words, IFS sees our painful feelings, behaviors, and conditions as adaptive responses to adversity. This allows us to have compassion for our parts who are suffering and access our true Self.
As a therapist, I am feminist, queer-affirming, sex-positive, culturally-inclusive, and social justice-oriented. My work acknowledges larger systems (racism, patriarchy, capitalism) that impact mental health and I bring this into our work together. I am passionate about de-stigmatizing therapy and pushing against systems that pathologize mental health. I am committed to providing deeply affirming care that actively acknowledges and explores the impact of systemic oppression on marginalized communities.
Lastly, reaching out for help takes courage, and I strive to honor and cultivate our therapeutic relationship so that you can safely and deeply explore your goals in a collaborative, warm, and radically nonjudgmental space. If you are ready to take this step, please reach out. I look forward to working with you.
internal family systems therapy (ifs)
Internal Family Systems Therapy (IFS) is a non-pathologizing approach to therapy that is grounded in the belief that our inner experience is made up of multiple “parts” that show up in various ways to protect us and help us survive (like in the Pixar animated film “Inside Out"). Through trauma and other adverse life experiences, parts shift into extreme roles (such as overworking, shutting down) and become burdened with shame, blame, and other negative core beliefs. This can lead to disconnection and a lack of trust both in ourselves and in our relationships with others.
Through IFS, we'll take a curious and compassionate stance towards getting to know your parts and how they show up in the body. We’ll incorporate somatic approaches to help you connect more to your body, physical sensations, and emotions so that you don’t feel so stuck in your head. We’ll work to surface unconscious patterns, identify the root of your pain, and validate your inner child, allowing you to unburden deep emotional wounds and restore connection, trust, and harmony to your internal system.
IFS therapy views the patterns we want to change as originating from an adaptive place of survival. I’ll help you to shift what’s no longer working while understanding the good intentions that were there all along. To learn more about IFS, visit the IFS Institute website or check out the book “No Bad Parts” by IFS founder Richard Schwartz.