Approach
Curiosity before judgment. Understanding before change.
Therapy isn't only about changing thoughts, behaviors, or patterns. Often, it begins with understanding how they developed and the role they may have played in our lives.
My approach begins with curiosity rather than judgment. Together, we can explore what may be happening beneath the surface, recognize patterns with greater clarity, and consider what you might want to approach differently.
An Integrative, Trauma-Informed + Relational Approach
I take an integrative, trauma-informed, and relational approach to therapy. This means I don't believe one method fits every person, concern, or stage of therapy.
Our work may incorporate EMDR, attachment and relational approaches, parts-informed work, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), somatic-informed interventions, and creative or art-based interventions.
You don't need to know which approach is right for you. We can decide together what feels useful as our work develops.
The Foundation of Our Work
Trauma-Informed
A trauma-informed approach recognizes that our responses and ways of coping often develop within the context of our experiences. Rather than viewing these patterns as something inherently wrong, we can explore how they developed and how they affect you today.
Therapy is approached with attention to safety, choice, and pacing. You don't have to share everything at once or revisit difficult experiences before you feel ready. We can take time to build trust, develop ways to manage what feels overwhelming, and decide together when to approach deeper work.
Attachment + Relational
Our earliest relationships can influence how we experience closeness, trust, emotional expression, and vulnerability.
In therapy, we may explore how these early experiences continue to influence your relationships, including how you communicate needs, navigate conflict, and respond to emotional closeness.
Rather than assigning a particular attachment style, the focus is on understanding your relational experiences and developing greater flexibility in how you connect with others.
Approaches We May Draw From
Therapy can look different depending on what we're working on. At different points, our work may involve deeper processing, reflection, practical strategies, or creative exploration.
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Sometimes an experience may be over, but the emotions, beliefs, or reactions connected to it continue to feel very present. Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) is a structured approach that can help process distressing experiences and how they continue to affect you.
EMDR may involve identifying memories, beliefs, emotions, and physical sensations while using bilateral stimulation, such as guided eye movements. Preparation is an important part of the process, and you don't necessarily have to describe every detail of an experience aloud.
The aim is to help past experiences feel less disruptive in the present.
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Sometimes different parts of us seem to want different things. One part may want closeness while another pulls away. One part may recognize the need for a boundary while another feels guilty for setting it.
Informed by concepts from Internal Family Systems (IFS) and other parts-oriented approaches, we may explore these different internal experiences with curiosity rather than trying to eliminate or argue with them.
This work can help us better understand conflicting feelings, protective responses, and the different needs they may represent.
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Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) explores the connections among thoughts, emotions, and behaviors—and how these patterns may contribute to distress.
Together, we might examine automatic thoughts, question longstanding assumptions, or experiment with different ways of responding.
CBT can offer practical strategies for developing more flexible ways of thinking and navigating difficult experiences.
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Our experiences don't only show up in our thoughts. Stress and emotions can also be reflected in the body through tension, changes in breathing, restlessness, numbness, or feeling constantly on alert.
Somatic-informed work brings gentle attention to these experiences and the connections between bodily sensations, emotions, and thoughts. Depending on what feels comfortable, we may incorporate grounding, breathing, movement, or other practices that support awareness and regulation.
The emphasis is on noticing and understanding the body's responses rather than forcing them to change.
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Sometimes words aren't the easiest—or only—way to understand an experience. Creative and art-based interventions offer another way to explore emotions, relationships, memories, and identity.
Depending on what feels useful, we might incorporate imagery, metaphor, drawing, visual mapping, writing, or other forms of creative expression.
No artistic experience is necessary. The focus is on exploration and expression rather than what you create.
What Therapy Might Actually Look Like
Therapy with me isn't a predetermined sequence of techniques.
Some sessions may involve exploring a recurring relationship pattern, understanding a past experience, identifying a longstanding belief, learning a practical strategy, processing a memory through EMDR, or finding another way to express something difficult to put into words.
We can talk openly about what feels helpful, what doesn't, and where you'd like our work to go.
My role isn't to decide what your life should look like, but to support you in understanding yourself and making choices that feel meaningful to you.
Culture Is Part of the Context
Culture can influence how we understand mental health, relationships, family, boundaries, and therapy itself.
When relevant to you, our work can consider cultural and intergenerational experiences alongside your individual history and concerns.
Ready to take the next step?
A complimentary 15-minute consultation is a chance to connect, talk briefly about what brings you to therapy, and get a sense of whether working together might feel like a good fit.