What I Do

 
 

People typically come to therapy when something is not working in their lives.

And usually, by the time people get to me, they’ve tried a lot of things to try to find relief. They’ve thought about the problem a LOT. They may have talked it over with friends or family. They may have started avoiding situations that bring up uncomfortable feelings or troubling memories. They may have started using drugs and alcohol, or sleeping all the time, or working long hours, or bingeing TV shows to disconnect from an unpleasant reality. I’ve yet to meet a client who hasn’t tried, in some way, to make themselves feel better. The problem is that all too often, our efforts to cope end up making things worse.

Where do you actually want to go?

I pull from a lot of different theoretical orientations, including feminist, psychoanalytic, and existential traditions. But the overarching framework that directs me as a therapist is acceptance and commitment therapy, or ACT. ACT encourages us to get clear about what matters in our lives — our values — and then develop strategies that move us in the direction of these values. Those strategies including learning how to tolerate uncomfortable feelings, unhook ourselves from limiting thoughts, accept reality, and engage in the present moment. ACT doesn’t wait for us to start feeling better before we start living differently; it invites us to start taking action now.

If you’ve been to therapy before and have found that talking extensively about your problems didn’t solve them, ACT might be the approach for you.

What I Treat

One of the things I love about acceptance and commitment therapy is that it’s transdiagnostic; it’s an effective treatment for a wide variety of mental health concerns. Here are some of the ones I treat most frequently:

  • Mood disorders, including depression and bipolar disorder

  • Anxiety disorders, including panic disorder and phobias

  • Trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder

  • Life transitions (divorce, relocation, job loss, retirement, etc.)

  • Grief and loss

  • Feeling lost, stuck, directionless, or confused about your path

My Specialties

I work with people struggling with any of the issues listed above, but these are some things I’m particularly passionate about:

  • Social justice - My practice is rooted in principles of social justice. Many of my clients seek therapy because of their experiences with oppression and/or because they’re doing their own anti-oppression work. I acknowledge the very real impact of oppression on mental health and I provide therapy with that in mind. I also acknowledge my privilege as a white, cisgender woman, and I am happy to discuss how that can impact the therapeutic relationship at any point in the process.

  • Gender-affirming care - If you’re trans, genderqueer, non-binary, agender, questioning, or otherwise not cisgender, you are welcome here! I’m knowledgeable about gender issues and will respect your name, gender identity, and pronouns, even if they’re different from what’s on your legal documents. I also write letters of support for clients seeking gender-affirming medical treatment.

  • Fat acceptance/fat liberation - I am staunchly anti-diet and anti-intentional weight loss, and I believe that fat liberation is a social justice issue. I subscribe to Health at Every Size and also recognize that the pursuit of health is not something that everyone is interested in or capable of. I promise body-affirming care, no matter your size or health status. And if you’re interested in creating a more peaceful relationship with food, I’m conversant with the principles of intuitive eating.

  • Affirmation of alternative sexualities - If you’re LGBTQ, on the ace/aro spectrum, non-monogamous, kinky, or doing something else that might confuse your grandma, you’re in the right place. I’m not a certified sex therapist, but I am a sex nerd, and I love working with clients who are forging their own sexual paths.