Therapeutic Specialties
Trauma and Chronic Stress
I have extensive experience working with trauma and chronic stress, including PTSD and complex trauma, developmental and relational trauma, and the impacts of systemic oppression and intergenerational trauma. My work is informed by attachment, neuroscience, and feminist and anti-oppressive perspectives, with attention to ways our experiences are shaped by our relationships, communities, cultures, and the world around us.
The work can involve building greater safety and stability, and reconnecting with yourself and others in ways that allow for greater agency in your life.
Grief and Life transitions
The path that led me to become a therapist began with my work as a grief support facilitator, and my heart has always stayed with this work. It is sacred work - where people are often grappling with existential questions about identity, relationships, purpose, and the shape of their lives.
Grief can also be present in life transitions—divorce, losing a job, retirement, moving, starting a family, or other changes that alter the shape of our lives. Whether you are experiencing a loss or finding your way through a significant transition, therapy can offer a place to make space for what is changing and what comes next.
Chronic Illness, Chronic Pain, & Health Anxiety
I have always been interested in the relationship between mental health and physical health. As a behavioral medicine consultant in several Bay Area primary care clinics, I worked alongside primary care doctors to support people living with chronic illness, chronic pain, and health anxiety.
My training in Somatic Experiencing® has added another dimension to this work, deepening my attention to the relationship between physical symptoms, stress, and the nervous system. This can include gently exploring how the body responds to overwhelm and how patterns of activation and protection may interact with physical symptoms.
I also draw from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and other CBT approaches to help clients change their relationship to difficult thoughts and feelings about their healthy, while staying connected to what matters and building a life that feels meaningful and aligned with their values.
Perinatal Mental Health & Parenting Support
I am passionate about supporting parents, especially because support for parents can have meaningful effects throughout the life of a family. As a parent myself, I learned early on that support—whether from family, trusted friends, or professionals—can be essential to staying present and grounded in the difficult work of caregiving.
Pregnancy, the postpartum period, and parenthood can bring profound changes in identity, relationships, and emotional life. Depression, anxiety, anger, irritability, overwhelm, guilt, and feelings of disconnection can all arise during these transitions. Therapy can offer a place to make sense of these experiences while finding greater steadiness and connection to yourself and your family.
Other issues I can help with
I have worked for many years as a generalist therapist, which means that alongside my areas of specialty, I have experience working with a wide range of mental health concerns and life challenges. These include depression, anxiety, ADHD, burnout, sleep issues, difficulties with emotion regulation, relationship & attachment concerns, and creative blocks.
You don’t have to fit neatly into a particular category to come to therapy. Sometimes people simply know that something isn’t working, they feel stuck or disconnected, or that they want something in their lives to be different. We can begin there.