Sitting Together

I truly enjoy people . I love the work I do and am grateful for the opportunity to participate in people's lives in such an intimate and meaningful way.

I use my whole heart and am persistent in the face of even the most intimidating problems. Over the years I have found that deep and open listening leads the way to answers — or ways forward — that have previously seemed impossible to find.

You can count on me to have solid recall for the details of your life. You can also count on me to be an active and engaged participant in the therapeutic relationship.

I believe that reaching out for support and new ideas is a sign of strength and resilience . Having a well-developed support network can help us to manage hard times better.

Many people have told me that they were stunned when I responded in a non-judgmental way after sharing something they considered shameful. They have also said that simply sharing and being received in this way has been more helpful than they would have imagined.

I seek feedback from you about your experience in our time together in every session and then apply that feedback in concrete ways. Based on feedback, we can decide to make adjustments in what we talk about, how we talk about it, or what words we use to describe things that are important to you, etc. What makes our time worthwhile is different for each person and what works for you is what matters most to me.

I see our work as a partnership . My expertise rests not in having a well developed hypothesis about the nature of the problem in your life but rather in asking genuinely open questions that can lead to new ways of thinking and to more possibilities. The questions I ask will honor what you already know about what works and doesn't for you and are based in how you experience the problem.

It's been said that laughter is the best medicine. Sometimes the most difficult sessions end in laughter. It goes without saying that people often cry in counseling or experience intense anger, but shared laughter can be healing too!

I truly enjoy working with people from a variety of religious perspectives, cultural backgrounds, relationship configurations, etc. I see it as my responsibility (and pleasure) to continually educate myself about things outside of my experience.

I reflect quite a bit on my own identity and the privilege that has enabled me to get where I am today. I strive to create a healing space where together we can openly observe and question the effects of privilege and oppression and their impact on health, mental health, family systems, and our relationships (including the therapeutic relationship).

In a way, all work in therapy is identity work because who we see ourselves to be influences how we will relate and respond to the challenges in our lives.