We often believe we can think or work our way through anything.
But humans are hard-wired to rely on other humans. Feeling better is possible when you ask for help.
I don’t believe you are broken. I believe you are struggling and need some help.
For centuries, women have taken on the emotional work, the day-to-day work, and the relationship work in their lives. We just do it because that is all we know.
I don’t know how your work with me will change your world, but I do know how to listen to your story, how to find clues to your strengths, how to find clues about what has become too heavy for you to carry, and, how to find clues about where things in the past are weighing you down.
Together we can find ways to integrate moments of peace in your day, ways to find permission for you to tend to yourself, and ways to take those old traumas out of storage and give them air, light and perspective.
MY APPROACH
I don’t have a “one size fits all” approach to therapy. Each woman I see brings in her own unique worldview, skillset, lived experiences and goals.
I have seen the magic when a woman tells her story. I have seen her shoulders relax out of her ears, and I’ve seen her eyes light up because I am listening and I care about what she is saying.
I bring a down-to-earth energy to each session. I welcome people of all faiths, all races, and all sexual orientations. I believe everyone of us needs to be seen and heard.
My age has gifted me with having lived through a lot, having seen a lot, and with having learned a lot along the way. I have witnessed people overcoming what they thought was impossible, and I’ve seen women coming out on the other side of darkness to find hope and light. I hold a safe and compassionate space and ask questions that invite you to reflect on your life, and to grow. And I love my job.
My Background
I took a women’s writing class when my youngest child was in kindergarten. It turned out to be a Poetry Therapy group where women wrote in journals around the theme of a poem read by the facilitator. I found deep levels of awareness and healing in this brief experience of writing and being heard in a safe group of women. It was magic.
After that, I wanted to share this magic with other women. I attended a few 5-day-trainings in the use of poetry and journal writing for therapy. After researching the possibilities, I decided to return to Graduate School to get licensed as a therapist. I continued to take workshops using mixed media to create images that reflected my internal world. I also have attended several trainings about using expressive arts as a therapy tool.
What I found in that women’s writing group was a way to tell my story by writing about it first. Then I found safety and validation and commonality when I read the piece I’d written in the group. I strove to create a space where women can tell their stories by talking, but also by painting, gluing, or writing, if that is the way they can safely distance themselves from the events as they tell their story.
And today, I use traditional talk therapy to help women find their ground again. I also use expressive arts therapy and grounding techniques when it feels appropriate and if my client is comfortable with that.
EDUCATION, CREDENTIALS & CERTIFICATIONS
M.A Clinical Psychology, Pepperdine University
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist
California MFT#103268, Maine MF#6408
Training in Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Therapy
Training in Nature-based Expressive Arts Therapy
Training in Journal Therapy
Training in Poetry Therapy
Certified Zentangle Instructor
Certified Level 2 Reiki Practitioner
PROFESSIONAL MEMBERSHIPS
California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
Maine Mental Health Counselors Association
National Association of Poetry Therapy
You don’t have to do this alone. We can work together to find what makes you feel like yourself again.
Click on the link below to schedule a free 15-minute consultation.