Understanding Yourself is the Beginning of Change
Online psychodynamic therapy for adults and couples working through anxiety, relationship patterns, and self-worth.
Therapy That Looks Beneath the Surface
Life never came with an instruction manual, and it takes real courage to ask for help. As a clinical social worker licensed in the State of Oregon, I'd like to help you understand what's happening beneath the surface and find a way forward.
My work is psychodynamic, which means I'm interested not only in what you're experiencing now, but in how you came to experience yourself and the world this way. We may draw on attachment and existential perspectives as we explore the patterns that keep showing up in your life, patterns that often make sense when we understand where they came from.
I don't see my role as simply listening while you tell me what's wrong. I'm curious, engaged, and willing to ask questions or point out something I notice. Together, we'll pay attention to what happens in your relationships, how you respond to the people closest to you, and sometimes even what happens between us in the room. My goal isn't simply to help you feel better for a while, but to help you understand yourself well enough to make different choices.
I've been working in social work since 1992 and in private practice since 2013. My practice is now entirely online, allowing me to keep a smaller caseload and bring a greater degree of presence and attention to the people I work with.
About Me
In 1990, while attending college in Olympia, Washington, I met a homeless Vietnam veteran named Michael who would unexpectedly shape the direction of my life. Over time, we became friends. We listened to Janis Joplin records, talked about the joys and sorrows of being alive, and looked out for one another. He would sometimes buy me food, insisting that because I was “in college, I should be eating better.” In return, our friendship gave him another reason to stay away from drinking. I was young and didn’t fully understand it at the time, but that relationship taught me something I have carried with me ever since: sometimes simply being present for another person can matter more than we realize.
Two years later, I began working as a community organizer in Seattle and eventually became an educator working with street-experienced youth. I earned my Master’s degree from Portland State University in 2001 and began working as a therapist in Portland’s homeless shelters. Over the years that followed, my work took me into corrections, HIV/AIDS services, street outreach, and transitional housing, where I eventually served as a clinical supervisor. Each setting brought me into contact with people whose lives had been shaped by trauma, loss, poverty, addiction, displacement, and experiences of being misunderstood or unseen.
In 2013, I opened my private practice, where I have been able to bring together everything I have learned along the way. My approach has continued to evolve throughout those years, but one thing has remained constant: my belief in the importance of understanding people in the context of their lives, relationships, histories, and experiences.
Outside of my work, I enjoy spending time with friends, playing piano, speaking Spanish, and traveling whenever I have the opportunity. I am also writing a book exploring trauma and its long, often unconscious afterlife, how our experiences can continue to shape us long after the events themselves have passed.
Michael and I lost touch many years ago. I have no idea where life eventually took him, but I still think about him from time to time, and I remain grateful for what he taught me. Helping others is not simply the work I do; it is part of what gives my life meaning. If our paths cross, I hope I can be of help to you.
