Areas of Specialty

Holding space for clients who are working through trauma is some of my most sacred and precious work. I recognize that trauma shapes us and impacts us in diverse ways. Trauma also intersects and interacts with other diagnoses we may hold. I honor all of the complexity that my clients bring to sessions, and hold space for the varied manifestations of distress we experience. 

I understand how essential safety is to be able to even begin to touch trauma. Trauma work needs to move at your pace, respecting your boundaries and capacities. Establishing safety, building stability and skills to cope with our everyday life, and finding solid supportive networks are vitally important parts of the work. 

While I strive for all of my work to be trauma-informed, one of my specialties is working with individuals who have experienced childhood trauma. Also called complex trauma or developmental trauma, trauma that happens in our childhood years can take many forms, from physical/sexual abuse to emotional abuse and neglect. These traumas often deeply impact our attachment relationships and our ability to build secure attachment in our adult lives. They can also impact the organization of our mind and soul. 

Dissociation is a powerful tool that our mind uses to cope with trauma, but it can start to interfere with our ability to move through the world in the way we want. I work with clients to recognize how dissociation has helped them, and ease the burden of dissociative patterns as we work towards the healing goals clients set for themself. 

Trauma related to police violence and being on the front lines of protests for social justice is becoming more and more frequent in today's world. I work with activists and others directly and indirectly impacted by the traumas imposed on us by oppressive societal forces. Healing from these wounds can help us continue to show up for ourselves and for those whose lives, rights, and humanity we are fighting for. 

Relationships are foundational to how we move through the world. Our attachment relationships, the relationships we had in our early childhood, imprint on us patterns and ways of relating with others. These patterns may be healthy and secure, anxious, or avoidant. Certain ways of relating may cause us distress, because we need solid, healthy, and affirming relationships to feel safe and loved. 

I specialize in working with clients to provide and model a secure attachment within our therapeutic relationship. Experiencing this secure and safe attachment can help us learn new patterns and reinforce our capacity for healthy relationships with our family, friends, intimate partners, and others. 

I work with clients to develop new communication skills, new ways of understanding relationships, and new ways to set healthy boundaries. 

I welcome and am honored to work with clients who are exploring polyamory and ethical non-monogamy within their intimate relationships.