Therapy Services
Individual Therapy
Individual therapy offers one-on-one space to explore your inner world in a safe and supported container. Here, we might explore the deeper layers of who you are, what you value, and the gifts you have to offer. Each therapeutic experience and session is unique. Together, we will work toward your goals while also becoming aware of new growth opportunities that want to emerge.
Adolescent Therapy
Adolescent therapy offers a low-key and laid-back space to get a little extra support around the intense and confusing challenges of growing up. Adolescence is a truly special stage—your values, passions, and sense of self are starting to emerge in a powerful, but sometimes complicated way. Therapy can help bring awareness to this stage of development in order to make the most out of it, laying the foundation for true adulthood. This therapy is for teens and young adults as well as for the families and loved ones who wish to support them.
Areas I support
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Attachment, developmental, and complex trauma
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Anxiety and depression
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Addiction
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Grief and major life transitions
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Isolation, loneliness
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Identity, purpose, and meaning
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Eco-anxiety and eco-grief
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Spirituality and creativity
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Building psychological resilience
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Deepening mindfulness and body-centered awareness
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Highly sensitive people
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Teens and young folks (20s + 30s) afraid and uncertain about their future
Group Therapy
Group therapy is a small, closed container where healing is held in the context of community. My groups are process-oriented, meaning that we explore whatever is happening in the here-and-now in order to uncover deeper insights about ourselves and how we show up in relationships. Here, healing happens by practicing new styles of relating to oneself and others while being supported by the group as a whole. This work is for anyone who wants to deepen their relational skills and grow in community. Visit the Group Page to learn more.
The Guest House
This being human is a guest house.
Every morning a new arrival.
A joy, a depression, a meanness,
some momentary awareness comes
as an unexpected visitor.
Welcome and entertain them all!
Even if they’re a crowd of sorrows,
who violently sweep your house
empty of its furniture,
still, treat each guest honorably.
He may be clearing you out
for some new delight.
The dark thought, the shame, the malice,
meet them at the door laughing,
and invite them in.
Be grateful for whoever comes,
because each has been sent
as a guide from beyond.
- Rumi
Therapeutic Worldview
After studying the field of psychology from several angles, both philosophically, collectively, and clinically, I have arrived at the understanding that the field itself is in transition. Historically, the field has prioritized the individual over the community, privileged the symptom over the origin, and has defined psychological success by how well an individual can acclimate to Western culture. In times of ecological duress and major cultural upheaval, however, it is important to me to name the shadow side of Western psychological practice and aim to work within a therapeutic worldview that might contribute to sustained and lasting transformation, both for individuals as well as our culture.
A few assumptions that I hold within my therapeutic worldview are as follows:
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The individual is not separate: I don't view the person as an isolated self, but instead, I understand how each one of us is embedded in and shaped by our environments, relationships, communities, culture, and the living world itself. Your problems are not yours alone, and likely, there is a very good reason for them being here.
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The symptom is the message: I view your symptoms not as problems to fix, but as indicators showing the way toward deeper patterns that are asking for our support. This work moves beyond the management of system and is geared toward lasting transformation.
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The body knows first: I work with the body as a source of wisdom, not as something to be managed or overridden by the thinking mind. The body's has a way of uncovering experience that lies deeper than thoughts can access.
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Hardship carries meaning: I believe that hardship offers depth and meaning, and by learning to stay with what feels uncomfortable, we develop an authentic and embodied wisdom, a necessary ingredient for true adulthood.
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Change is organic, not procedural: I believe true transformation moves like nature—a slow living process that cannot be systemized, but instead unfolds according to its own intelligence.
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The personal is ecological: Our personal lives are inseparable from the world in which we live in, and by engaging in your own healing process, you are simultaneously contributing to the healing of the world.
On meeting this moment: how the personal becomes planetary
I believe that each person carries an important purpose, and that the greatest task in life is to discover that purpose and offer yourself back to the web of life. This work supports you in the discovery of your deep self, which includes your values, needs, gifts, and calling. A s you increase your understanding of yourself and the ways in which you were patterned, new options arise for how to meet each moment. As this process unfolds over time, deeper layers of yourself are revealed and a larger story for your life emerges. Here, not only does your healing process benefit you and your immediate relationships, but it simultaneously supports you in weaving yourself back into the richness of life, uncovering a deeper sense of aliveness, sensitivity, and belonging within the Earth community.
This concept represents a deeper body of work and the topic of my dissertation. An ecological orientation, however, is not required to engage in therapy with me. If this worldview speaks to you, however, please let me know and we can adjust our therapy work to better hold this orientation. This worldview is especially helpful for healers, activists, change-makers and anyone else carrying a deep love for the world.
FAQs
What is Somatic Therapy?
What is your fee? And do you offer sliding scale?
Do you take insurance?
What is a Registered Psychological Associate?
What is a session like?
Somatic therapy is a style of therapy that includes the body alongside the mind. We might become interested in things like sensations, postures, and spontaneous movements that occur when you share what's happening in your world. The body holds a lot of information, and by slowing down and getting curious, sometimes we catch things that words might miss. Pacing is always slow and gentle. You do not need any body-based experience to begin.
My fee is $200 for 60 minutes. I have several sliding scale options in order to accommodate lower-income clients. Please don't hesitate to ask and we can work something out together.
I do not take insurance at this time.
A Registered Psychological Associate (RPA) is someone who is working toward psychologist licensure and is under the supervision of a licensed psychologist. I am being supervised by Dr. Brian Tierney. To learn more about his work, visit his website: https://somaticdoctor.com/.
Sessions are laid back, slow, and can feel like a nice reprieve from our fast paced world. They usually start by talking about whatever is on your mind and oftentimes, we find our way in toward deeper material by following the body's cues and your own wisdom.
I see clients on Mondays in-person in Fairfax, CA and online throughout the rest of the week. Sessions are 60 minutes.
Do I need to be into spirituality, activism or ecology to benefit from this therapy?
How do I get started?
No, not at all. Many people arrive to explore grief, major life transitions, or a sense of being stuck. My approach is shaped by an ecological worldview which means that I might understand your inner life as being connected with the world around you. If themes of spirituality, nature, or social justice arise for you, I am glad to explore them. If they don't, we won't go there. You set the language and the direction. I'll follow your lead.
To begin, you can schedule a free 30 minute consultation. Here, you may feel free to share why you're interested in working with me, what you'd like to work on, and ask any questions about how I work. You may also call, text, or email with any additional questions.