I am a licensed psychologist who enjoys working predominantly with adults in individual psychotherapy. I received my doctorate in clinical psychology from George Fox University and have experience in providing psychological care across multiple settings including universities, community mental health, and primary care.

My approach to psychotherapy is integrative meaning I frequently pull from the wisdom of various evidence-based theoretical, philosophical, and empirical approaches to inform the uniqueness of each clinical encounter. I also think from a developmental lens as I consider what parts of self are seeking to emerge and more fully actualize, and what are both the internal and external barriers that sabotage this developmental process. I find most grounding in a collection of clinical theories or sensibilities known as relational psychoanalysis. With less jargon, I seek to create a relational space characterized by empathy, curiosity, and appreciation for complexity. My hope is to cultivate a stance of tenderness, warmth, and understanding towards emotion-states and parts of yourself you least like to experience. The past provides a backdrop to who you are in the present.  For this reason, I take seriously your background and the ways in which past significant relationships and experiences structure how you holistically experience yourself, others, and the world, particularly emotional and relational patterns that spill into the present and lead to psychological suffering.

Developing a rich understanding of the meanings and function of your symptoms and other emotional and relational patterns can allow for the emergence of new and liberating ways of engaging yourself and others. As with any relationship, it is inevitable for internal conflicts, experiences of shame, and other unconscious relational patterns from the past to flow into the therapeutic relationship. This offers the unique opportunity for learning, growth, and change to occur in both subtle and profound ways where together we are able to courageously allow these processes to unfold but begin to discover new ways of engaging, embodying, and relating with these processes.

Utilizing strategies, coping skills, and techniques are an important part of emotional wellbeing especially when emotional distress is so great that more reflective processes are diminished. However, suffering and experiences of trauma are all experienced in some way within a relational context. It is my belief that healing from these wounds also must occur within relational context. For this reason, I center the importance of cultivating a unique therapeutic relationship in which healing and growth can emerge.

Because I believe in the importance of bringing your full self into the therapeutic process , I strive to engage aspects of identity (e.g. race, ethnicity, sexuality, gender identity, spirituality, ability) as not a separate part of your psychological experience, but as deeply integrated into your sense of self and experience within the world.  I seek to relate with aspects of identity with humility and honesty—seeking to know and own my own limitations, privilege, biases, and gaps, while also remaining committed to being impacted and responsive to the lives and experience of others, particularly those with oppressed identities.