Welcome! I appreciate that you are taking the time to consider and pursue therapy, which is such a brave way to prioritize your emotional wellbeing. I would like to introduce myself and how I approach therapy.
I am a queer European-American therapist based in Portland, Oregon. My work is collaborative and client-centered, meaning we identify goals together, based on what you would like to see in your own life. I am interested in the ways that you define yourself, your relationships and the world. Using these perspectives can shed light on the patterns you find yourself in, and help find a way of being that more closely aligns with your values. Even the traits about yourself that you like the least are trying to serve a purpose! Sometimes we grow past a certain way of coping, and benefit from exploring new options.
I use existential and narrative therapy orientations with concepts from acceptance and commitment therapy. I also utilize emotionally focused therapy for relationship counseling, and a mix of exposure and response prevention (ERP) and inferential CBT when working with obsessive-compulsive disorder. I prioritize valuing and seeing my clients for their whole and complex selves and identities. People come from different social locations including race, gender, dis/ability, class status, sexual and romantic orientation, and immigrant status, and this matters! I strive to remain accountable, listen to those who have different identities and experiences from myself, and have explicit conversations about power and oppression in my work and in my life. I think relationally and systemically.
Human beings are always absorbing and enacting lessons from our families of origin, traumatic experiences, cultural and societal norms. Embracing all parts of life, and all parts of yourself, is not about keeping everything the same. In fact, it’s about finding freedom from always trying to suppress discomfort. When we are no longer operating from a place of avoidance, opportunities begin to multiply, and our true self leads.
Some of my favorite things include iced coffee at all times of the year, my cats, being in the sun, reading, learning new fabric arts, spending as much time as I can with people I love, and writing.
