The Basics
I’m a body-oriented therapist specializing in helping folks continue in their recovery from eating disorders, build healthy relationships with their bodies, and healing from the pain caused by conflicts between faith and sexuality. I completed by bachelors degree in sociology with an emphasis on gender and sexuality from the University of Michigan in 2009 and my Masters of Arts in Counseling Psychology at The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology in 2013. I’m certified to practice psychotherapy in Colorado.
Superpowers
Every therapist has superpowers. No, I don’t mean flying or teleporting. They have special qualities that uniquely make them qualified to bring you toward healing. For me, the qualities clients have named in me are:
- Straight shooter
- Safe
- Compassionate
- Grounded
- Loving
I have used my superpowers in my work to:
- Facilitate process and psycho-educational groups
- Supervise other therapists and mental health workers
- Lead folks in understanding their nervous system and the impact of emotions on their bodies
- Build strong rapport with clients through humor and direct communication
- Support strengthening family relationships
- Lead folks to greater acceptance and self love
My continued training has only strengthened and solidified my superpowers. The trainings include:
- Co-Regulating Touch
- Safe and Sound Protocol
- Sensorimotor Psychotherapy
- Relational Psychotherapy
- Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
- Emotion Focus Family Therapy
Healing Body and Soul
After living in Honduras and working on a research project post undergrad, I discovered my longing to go back to school and learn how to be the best healer I could be. I moved from Michigan to Seattle to attend graduate school. Throughout graduate school I found myself drawn to exploring the relationship between self and body, and I quickly began working with folks who have eating disorders (ED). For over 6 years, I have worked at inpatient, residential, and partial hospitalization programs for people struggling with ED.
As I’ve worked alongside those struggling with severe eating disorders, I began researching and incorporating somatic therapy into my work. I found that while behavior interruption is often necessary, it cannot be the only component of healing for these populations.
My interest in the mind body relationship is connected to my history of disconnect and fear of my own body. For me, it was directly related to growing up in Christian culture. The juxtaposition between the church and my intuition about feeling embodied (embracing my body) felt confusing, shameful, and often shut down. Fortunately, I held onto part of myself and was able to heal and begin learning to love and embrace the woman I am. It was through these experiences that I decided to listen to the fire in my gut and fight for curiosity and self-love for myself and others.
While there has been significant pain in my experience of church, I also recognize the goodness and importance of what church has provided for me. It is because of my experiences that I am committed and excited to support others in reclaiming their body and sexuality while reexamining their religious beliefs. I do NOT believe you need to give up one for the other. You get to navigate your beliefs and your identity harmoniously.
I firmly believe that the more a therapist chooses to invest in their own healing, the more a therapist has capacity to hold space for others to heal. Because of this I have, and continue to be, invested in my own healing and am motivated to serve folks who need safe and rooted places to navigate their own stories.
Am I A Good Fit?
The clients who are most drawn to working with me are folks who:
- Have a painful relationship with their body and want to see growth and change,
- Have tried many years of only talk therapy and find they continue to struggle in finding lasting healing,
- Have faith narratives that have dampened, suppressed, or “cut off” their sexual and gender identity,
- Are curious about how to live a congruent life where their faith and their sexuality can live in harmony,
- Have desire to move into relationship with themselves and are afraid and unsure how to begin this journey.
Helping you become intimately close with your own body and sexuality is my greatest hope, and I believe by doing so my clients have become better able to truly thrive as their unique and GOOD self!
When I’m Most ME
I feel the most like myself playing squirt guns with my niece and nephew, baking delicious pastries, and singly loudly and often! When I’m not in sessions you’ll find me embracing the small joys of life through spending time with my family, finding the best coffee and ice cream in Denver, or wandering into the mountains. I’m an explorer and love to simply wander around new places and spaces, soaking up all that life and people have to offer. It has been during my travel experiences in other countries, (Zambia, Honduras, England, New Zealand), where I realized, and solidified, how brave, strong, curious, and confident I am.
Being in touch with my playful demeanor has provided me opportunities to invite play and healing into the lives of many souls. As early as high school, I found myself drawn toward mentoring younger kids and continued to work with teenagers for over 10 years. Working at summer programs, schools, and residential programs with kids was pivotal in my growth and acceptance of who I am and how I want to be in the world: a playful, embodied, confident, healer.
Most recently, I have committed to becoming certified as a Sensorimotor Psychotherapist through a several month training. I consider myself a forever learner and find myself giddy as I keep growing in my capacity to heal and be healed. I love what I do and I love how I get to show up in my work. You are invited to start your healing journey, and I want to support you in living more fully into your life and feeling more connected to yourself, others, and whatever else you believe in.
Thanks for stopping by and getting to know me!