My first therapy experience began when I entered high school in 1994 and was treated for anorexia nervosa and major depression. Though my adolescence remained challenging, painful, and socially confusing, the secure relationship I formed with my therapist over those years is absolutely what helped me survive.
That first therapeutic relationship enabled me to reach out for professional help many other times throughout my life and was the catalyst for my own desire to become a psychotherapist. It also ignited what would become a life-long interest in psychology, women’s studies, and holistic trauma healing.
I am happiest when immersed in nature (preferably a moss-filled forest), listening to the sound of a stream, the breeze, and birds. I love reading epic fantasy, magical realism, and sci-fi, collecting books on my special interests, and talking about books with others. For fun (seriously), I think about, research, take courses, and devour material on my latest clinical interests. Dreamwork, feminine spirituality, space, art, and the esoteric are realms that endlessly fascinate me. I often think in song lyrics and when inspired, am known to randomly burst into song. Dogs make my heart smile more than just about anything else. The tenant “nobody’s free until everybody’s free” (Frannie Lou Hamer) sums up my personal value system.
I have deep respect and honor for the teachings of nature, the wisdom of the nervous system, and the power of human resiliency.
Brief Professional Background
I have been working professionally in the behavioral health field since 2001, when I earned my Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology at the University of Memphis, TN. I obtained my Master of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology in 2004 from Lesley University in Cambridge, MA, and Licensure as a Marriage and Family Therapist in California in 2008. Most of my early clinical work was centered on supporting underserved adolescents and young adults in inpatient, residential, outpatient, school-based, and home settings in culturally diverse urban cities across the country, including Memphis, TN; Little Rock, AR; Boston, MA; and Los Angeles, CA.
I began a part-time private psychotherapy practice in Santa Monica, CA in 2008 and worked with the UCLA-Santa Monica Medical Center’s Rape Treatment Center for a decade providing sexual assault crisis intervention services and sexual violence prevention education programming. Certified as a Sexual Assault Victim Counselor since 2009, my therapy approach is firmly grounded in feminist theory with a focus on supporting those who have experienced child sexual abuse and/or gender-based violence.
I am a firm advocate for the provision of healthy relationships/healthy sexuality education in elementary, middle, and high schools and support the work of Culture Reframed, an organization based on the research of feminist scholar and anti-pornography activist Dr. Gail Dines, which views internet pornography as a public health crisis. https://www.culturereframed.org/
At 43 years old, in the process of seeking professional consultation about the differential diagnosis of Complex Post-Traumatic Stress, Attention Deficit, and Autism Spectrum Conditions, I discovered my own neurodiverse identity. This awakening has ignited a passion for learning everything I can about this topic, with a focus on assisting other undiagnosed adult female autistics begin to understand this identity. I utilize a polyvagal theory approach and somatic-sensory attunement practices to help clients further develop the ability to track, detect and regulate state shifts. I am strengths-based and find a lot of joy in connecting with people’s special interests.
In 2022, I became licensed to practice as an MFT in Oregon and also earned the designation of Certified Sex Addiction Therapist.