Hello
I spent a decade working in the non-profit sector, fundraising for mission-driven organizations focused on senior care, homelessness, food insecurity, and environmental sustainability. My desire to work with relationships, stories, and people prompted me to shift careers and pursue a degree in psychotherapy.
I am a white, heterosexual, woman and a proud Appalachian. I grew up and spent my formative years in Eastern Kentucky, playing in creeks, catching lightning bugs, and exploring caves. Washington became my new home in 2012 and I currently live in Seattle.
When not in the therapy room, I enjoy cooking, baking, fermenting, and gardening--all things food-related! Being outdoors and moving my body is my favorite way to relax and recharge: I'll often spend my days off biking, backpacking, skiing, or lifting weights. I'm also a board game enthusiast and usually have a stack of books on my bedside table.
Education
I hold a Master of Arts in Couple and Family Therapy from Seattle University. During my clinical internship, I worked at a group practice in Seattle, Resonant Relationships, where I completed my training requirements and worked with couples and individuals, most of whom identified as LGBTQIA+. I also co-facilitated a weekly couples communication group during this time. I've also received advanced training in Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT).
I enjoy working with adult individuals, intimate relationships, and families. I treat issues of relational distress (such as miscommunication, conflict, pre-marital counseling, etc.), adjustment to life transitions (such as moving, getting divorced, coming out, etc.), struggles with anxiety and depression, and identity development. A passion of mine is working with women, and individuals who identify outside the dominant of sexual, gender, and relational norms (such as LGBTQIA+, gender non-conforming individuals, and non-monogamous and/or polyamorous relationships). Being from Appalachia, I also love working with folks from rural backgrounds and/or those that live far away from family.
In the therapy room, I have been described as calm, warm, and non-judgmental. My love language is quality time and I bring this into each session with my clients, focusing my presence on our time together and your unique journey. I believe that my clients are the experts on their own lives and my work always tries to work with the innate wisdom and strengths they possess. My theoretical approaches to therapy are integrative and I love to pull from Narrative Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Attachment Theory, and Internal Family Systems. With relationships and couples, I use Gottman Couple Method, Emotionally Focused Therapy, and Psychobiological Approach. In all my work, I enjoy incorporating a macro-level view of the problem, looking at how larger systems (such as culture, family history, politics, etc.) factor into your story.