Each person is uniquely different, and I view the counselor-client relationship as a partnership. My counseling approach is a combination of cognitive-behavioral, person-centered, and solution-focused, and takes into consideration all aspects of a person, and the effects problems have on you physically, psychologically, socially, and spiritually (if you choose).  I strive to listen well, to gain an understanding into each client’s needs, to find out what their perception of the world is, and how that view shapes their thoughts, feelings, or behavior. I prioritize an acceptance of each person for who they are, as well as trying my best to understand each client’s own individual needs.  You are the expert on you, and I tailor my treatment accordingly, to help you figure out what works best for you in this process.  Some of the ways I address these different aspects of a person are through: 

• education on what is going on in the brain, with anxiety, panic disorders, or trauma responses; 

• finding patterns of thinking or behavior that may not be serving you well; 

• helping address uncomfortable feelings through acceptance and mindfulness; 

• helping you problem-solve life’s challenges.  

I believe that change and growth are part of the process of living.  Some of those changes are welcomed with happy times in life, and then there are other phases of life that are more difficult or traumatic.   Each person deals and copes with the difficulties of life differently, and many times we have been taught ways of coping in our younger lives that do not serve us well as adults.  My desire is to provide a safe place to help clients discover how to adjust to changes in life, heal from present and past hurts and trauma, and achieve the changes they want to make in their lives.

I believe oppression is a reality for people of color and minorities, and that racism is a social system embedded in the culture and it's institutions.

"Psychotherapy is a ritual that allows people to stand in a clearing in which they can begin to show up in their own life.  Where they can begin to know what they really know and they begin to feel what they really feel.  This is the sacred ground really." - James Finley

"Deep listening is the kind of listening that can help relieve the suffering of another person." - Thich Nhat Hanh