Welcome. I’m so glad you’re here.

 

The first thing I’d like you to know is that I’m so glad you have found your way here. However you have arrived, please know that I welcome you just as you are.

Before starting work with a therapist, it is important to know about the person you intend to work with and make sure it will be a good fit.

I found my way into working as a therapist because I have always been passionate about helping individuals to discover their own wisdom. 

I view therapy as a means of achieving personal transformation and a way to navigate the challenges of life. So often, we come to counseling not because we don't know what we "should” or “could" do differently, but because we feel stuck. I am committed to walking alongside you and providing opportunities for you to move through challenges, to heal, and to connect with your inner resilience. 

My theoretical approach is rooted in mindfulness-based cognitive behavioral and somatic focused therapy. I approach my work through a trauma-informed lens, which means that I prioritize a sense of safety and compassion when I work with clients. I have specialized experience and training in perinatal mental health, meaning your mental and emotional well-being during pregnancy, birth and postpartum stages. I am a certified EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing) therapist and currently studying Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, both are body-centered ways to process emotions and experiences. I am also a registered yoga instructor and often call on the tools of yoga and mindfulness practices. Depending on your needs, we may use some or all of these strategies to achieve your goals. 

I come to private practice with a background in primary care medical clinics providing integrated behavioral health counseling, and have worked as a child and family therapist and with survivors of domestic and sexual violence. I graduated from Portland State University in 2011 with a Masters in Social Work, during which time I completed internships with a refugee resettlement program and at OHSU’s Center for Women's Health.

My work as a therapist is grounded in social justice and I am committed to making my practice welcoming as possible for everybody. I am a queer and trans affirming provider and work from an intersectional and anti-oppressive lens.

I was born and raised in the Portland area. When not working as a therapist, you may find me running on trails, practicing yoga, dancing, traveling or enjoying the wildness of parenting with my three children.

Education

  • Whitman College, Bachelor of Arts, Psychology, 2005

  • Portland State University, Masters of Social Work, 2011

Certifications and training

Professional AFFILIATIONS

Areas of Focus

  • Perinatal Mental Health

  • Anxiety

  • Depression

  • Trauma

  • Grief/Loss

  • Fertility and reproductive health

  • Life Transitions

  • Secondary trauma in birth workers and medical providers

 
“If you’ve come here to help me, you’re wasting your time.
But if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”
— Lilla Watson