Who I Help

 

You are SO damn tired of playing "the pronoun game" or pretending your other partner is your roommate (they're not). Just once, you want to walk into a room without a question in your mind about whether or not you will be judged. You're exhausted from waiting to see how others will react. You've never been able to FULLY dive into therapy because there's a whole bucket of shit that you don't think anyone would understand. Holding onto the shame is suffocating you, and you just want to find some relief. You want to feel like you are truly thriving in this life instead of merely surviving your way through it.

​

If this sounds like what goes on in your head and you really FELT that--you're probably someone who I help.

​

I'm a LGBTQIA+ and relationship affirming therapist. I'm also affirming of the kink/fetish community. While I love working with a variety of concerns and individuals from a wide range of backgrounds, I especially love working with the LGBTQIA+ community and those in ENM/Poly/Open/non-traditional relationships (or those interested in exploring them).

​

LGBTQIA+ related concerns, gender identity, sexuality, ENM/non-traditional relationship types, disordered eating (especially binge eating disorder), relationship issues, and trauma + PTSD are all in my wheelhouse.

​

I also work with folks struggling with religious trauma, attachment / codependency concerns, family conflict, body image, and depression.

​

​

​

What Can you Expect?

​

I want you to REALLY show up here, and I know how hard that is--so I try and do the same.

​

You've been to therapy before, but you've never had the chance to dive deep into your story. You might be looking for someone who can show you how to get into that trench, sit with the discomfort and FACE the trauma with you, and then empower you to know that you are the one who has always had the power to make changes in your life. I like to go deep with people. If you're ready to go there, I'm ready to take that journey with you. I will support you until the end, and I will call you on your shit (lovingly!). Come to me with your plan and we will make it happen together.  

​

I treat trauma as a hybrid model, pulling from attachment theory, family systems, and psychoeducation about the biological ramifications of trauma on the brain and body. We have all gone through experiences where our body and brain have created automatic responses to help us navigate them--some that are positive, and some that are... well, maybe not so positive. Together, we can also identify and tackle the toxic shame that often accompanies trauma so that you can start thriving in this life instead of merely surviving.

​

Our families are the first experiences we have with relationships and shape our worldview. This is where we have learned how to handle conflict (or straight up avoid it), what our role was within the family, and how we deal with emotions (or just straight up avoid them, too). I take the approach that it wasn't anyone's "fault"--our family was doing what they knew how to do, the best they knew how. (And listen, before you even go there--I'm not saying it makes it okay. But sometimes exploring it through that lens makes it hurt a little less, and reduces the amount of shit that you are carrying around that impacts you more than you may realize.)

​

I treat BED (binge eating disorder) through a trauma lens and take a HAES (health at every size) approach. I am validating of the experiences that people with BED have in their lives.

​

Let me just be blunt... I swear, I laugh, I make dark humor jokes. While I do pull from my formal training and various approaches, therapy with me often doesn't feel like traditional 'therapy.'  If you feel like we may be a good fit, reach out and let's get started!

​

​

​

 When I'm not at Open Space CCW, you may also find me...

 

Lounging on the couch with my 3 dogs, cross-stitching, making art, watching true crime and Unsolved Mysteries reruns, and hiking in the woods.

​

​