An adaptive evolutionary perspective.
I view human behavior with an adaptive evolutionary perspective and understand physiological responses to stress, trauma, or attachment conflicts through this lens.
With patience and kindness, I can help you reconnect to your own body and feelings so you can understand yourself more deeply. While I help you gain new insight into yourself, I also give you the tools to communicate your authentic self to others and cultivate a life that fulfills your purpose.
As your therapist, I encourage you to be in charge of your own life which includes therapy going at your own pace. If something is not serving you, I can adapt and work with you to find something that does.
I work well with…
- Motivated, hardworking people who have the tendency to take on too much
- Perfectionists, people pleasers, and those who have a hard time setting limits
- Science minded people who love to ask questions and discover the “why”
- Men and women in helping professions or caretaking roles
- “Well siblings” of physically ill, mentally ill, or disabled brothers or sisters
- “Parentified children” who are often “the responsible one” who everyone relied on
- Those who have a hard time asking for help or depending on others
- Overextended parents who lost touch with themselves along the way
- Individuals and couples who want to improve their sex lives
- Well attuned “Highly Sensitive People” (HSPs)
Helping you become who you want to be.
Some therapists will just sit and listen to you but don’t really give you any feedback or help you grow. Although I do spend quite a bit of time listening and making sure I truly understand what is going on, I also am very engaged and will challenge you to meet your goals and build a life that you are so excited to be living. It won’t just be head nodding and nothing else from me.
I am fully engaged throughout the whole process and my clients often get great results. We will laugh, cry, and have fun all while confronting the hard things in your life that are causing you to suffer. I am excellent at pinpointing the true issue and getting real with you about how to change it.
What I Do Best
Seeing the bigger picture in context.
My clients are often amazed and how I remember so many little details of their lives from past sessions we have had. They notice how much I love my job and can feel how invested I am in seeing them improve. They know I feel their pain but that I am grounded and knowledgable enough to see them through to the other side.
They appreciate that I am someone outside of their usual circles who they can tell their whole story to. They experience profound shifts when I am able to draw parallels with what is happening now to patterns in their past.
They enjoy the benefit of my years of education and experience in my areas of expertise. They love that we can laugh along the way and that what they are carrying doesn’t feel so heavy after we talk.
A scientist at heart.
I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Biology from the College of Creative Studies at University of California Santa Barbara and completed my Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology at Antioch University in Santa Barbara.
I love science and the process of discovery that comes through understanding why people do what they do as well as the intersect between nature and nurture.
To stay balanced I do yoga, creative projects, snuggle my dog, and spend time in the ocean with my friends and family.
Education & Licenses
- MA in Clinical Psychology
- BA in Biology
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
- AASECT Certified Sex Therapist (CST)
- Certified in Perinatal Mental Health (PMH-C)
