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Welcome!
Welcome!
If you've found my website, you likely want to know more about me and how I think about therapy, so here are some of my thoughts. I approach therapy with a firm belief that you make sense. The reasons you have the beliefs and behaviors you do makes sense - and we need to understand the reasons. When we are frustrated by our behaviors that no longer serve us we often ask “why am I like this?”. I want to shift to ask the same question together with curiosity and compassion. You’re “like this” for a reason. It served you in some way. Maybe it still does, even as it also hurts you. Trying to remove it without understanding what it’s trying to do, and finding a better way to meet that need, is as difficult as removing a load bearing wall without putting anything in its place.
When we are able to respect our survival strategies, and then work to change the ones that don't serve us, we can blossom. In working towards change, I stay rooted in the fact that we all have our own needs, cultures, beliefs, experiences, and dreams. We are individuals, but we are also each part of communities and hold identities that can have a drastic impact on our experiences moving through the world. We all learn to survive and face our challenges in both unique and culturally informed ways. This view of therapy helps to ground my practice in cultural humility, and means that I incorporate a strong belief in social justice and awareness of our identities, privileges, marginalization, similarities and differences. I strongly believe that effective therapy is both flexible and tailored to both client and therapist, and the cultural and social backgrounds that have shaped us. Appreciating this is vital to building a strong working relationship and helping me truly become your ally in navigating your life.
In therapy, I mix conversation, to build an understanding of who you are and what drives you, with skill-building, to give you tools to face your challenges. I think of this as tending to a garden - the skills taking care of the parts of the plant that we see, weeding and pruning, and the increased insight and understanding tending to the soil made of the unique environment you navigated to get to this point. You need both to help you grow. In addressing both, I aim to empower you to appreciate your strengths, your resilience, and your true self.
Are you:
Are you:
In a STEM field (academic or industry)
LGBTQ+
College student
Graduate student
Young professional
Working in a high pressure setting
A nerd or geek
A parent
Do you experience:
Do you experience:
Depression
Anxiety
Stress
Life challenges
Relationship issues
Career struggles
Intergenerational Trauma
Childhood Trauma
Grief and loss
Difficulty related to identities
Difficulty coping
Intense emotions
Low self-esteem
Self-defeating patterns of behavior
Perfectionism
Impostor Syndrome
Discrimination
Or anything else you would like to talk about?
Black Lives Matter:
Black Lives Matter:
As a therapist and as an individual, I stand in solidarity with the Black Lives Matter movement and with Black LGBTQ+ folx. I see you, I value you, and I stand with you. I stand against the systemic racism that is so pervasive in this country.
As a White Psychologist, I am working everyday to continue to educate myself, to use my White privilege to support these important causes, and to amplify voices that have been silenced for too long. For those who are interested, check out my Resources page for a link to some cool antiracism resources.
Remote Therapy:
Remote Therapy:
These are challenging times. In addition to feeling isolated, it can be difficult to find psychological help when we can't meet in person. While my Office is located in East Bay of the San Francisco Bay Area. I offer teletherapy throughout California, which is a great solution, enabling therapy over secure and confidential video. To learn more about teletherapy, and how it works, click here:
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