About me
My Story
photo by @TenderHeartProductions
I completed my Masters in Social Work (MSW) from Monmouth University in West Long Branch, NJ in 2009. I have spent the past 15+ years at the intersections of social movement work, education and mental health. I've had the huge privilege of facilitating a variety of community-based projects, including: a trauma support program in a county jail, a Circle of Care therapist network for activists doing international human rights work, a food stamp program for area farmers markets, cross-border solidarity campaigns, worker unionization campaigns, direct actions focused on racial justice, and participatory education and research projects with university students. I am deeply inspired by Just Therapy and other approaches that link therapy to social change.
In 2012 I completed training with Intensive Trauma Therapy Inc. in Morgantown, WV, an intensive outpatient program that utilizes a unique method of combined art and narrative therapies to work with dissociation, anxiety and post-traumatic stress. This experience confirmed my passion for working in trauma care, and I went on to complete trainings in other modalities like Somatic and Body-Based Therapies, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Tension and Trauma Releasing Exercises (TRE®), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR).
After working for two years in an outpatient therapy program with Lutheran Community Services, I completed my exam as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Oregon in 2017. I have worked primarily with clients deeply impacted by the socio-political and economic systems we live in; like clients experiencing poverty, navigating the immigration system, and navigating the prison system. As a queer and non-binary person, it is a joy to work with my own LGBTQ+ community. Prior to opening my private practice, I worked at Owls Nest North Therapy Joint in North Portland, providing services predominately to queer, trans, and gender-expansive clients. I have had the privilege of accompanying clients through many challenges and life transitions, including; anxiety, trauma, chronic illness, grief and loss, coming out and gender transition, depression, underemployment and workplace issues, identity and relationship concerns.
My Philosophy
In my work as a therapist I use a Client-Centered approach that trusts in people’s innate ability to heal and overcome tremendous circumstances. My role as therapist is to hold space for this process of healing and self-discovery. I see therapy as collaborative and trust we both have tools, skills, creativity and experience to bring to this process together.
I seek to honor not only client individual experiences, but also the broader systems that impact my clients and each of our daily lives. Each of us live, play, and exist within a broader historical, cultural, socio-political, and economic context. The health of our communities is intrinsically linked to personal health. There are many cultural, political, environmental, and economic forces that impact individual well-being. Honoring this connection between individual and collective in therapy helps us explore the impact of, and tools for overcoming, broader systems of oppression; meanwhile honoring the client’s unique lived experience in a contextualized framework. It also allows us to link personal transformation with systemic change.
I understand that each client comes to therapy with specific goals for their work and this is our central focus together. In my work with clients we can explore a wide range of modalities and creative tools to aid these goals. I hold a particular interest in narrative approaches, somatics, use of art and creative visualization, mindfulness and meditation, psychodynamic approaches, and practical tools for nervous system regulation and trauma resilience. I am currently focusing a large part of my practice on providing Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) services.
I look forward to every new client I have the honor of working with, and to the creative process of forwarding personal change and strengthening collective resilience together.
License and Training
LCSW with Oregon Board of Licensed Social Workers
As a licensee of the Oregon Board of Social Workers, I abide by its Code of Ethics. While I am no longer required to be under clinical supervision, I seek out regular consultation with professional peers. Please do not hesitate to ask if you have questions about this.
EMDR: Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing
Completed Level I and Level II EMDR trainings for individual practice in 2016 through Trauma Recovery: EMDR Humanitarian Assistance Programs (HAP)
Certified TRE® Provider
Certified to provide individual and group TRE® sessions since 2016.
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Intensive Trauma Therapy
Completed 40-Hour training with Intensive Trauma Therapy Inc. (ITT) in Morgantown, WV in January 2013.
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Conflict Transformation
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Completed 32-hour Alternative Dispute Resolution training and certification through Education for Conflict Resolution (ECR) in North Manchester, IN in 2011.
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Completed 21-hour Victim Offender Conferencing training and certification through Good Shepherd Mediation Center in Philadelphia, PA in 2012.
