About Me
I have been practicing, learning, and growing as a psychotherapist for over a decade.
I received my graduate education in psychology at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. While there, I was thoroughly trained in the intersection between traditional Buddhist & modern Western Psychological frameworks of understanding. This experience included a strong meditation practice with regular two-week retreats that were aimed at continuing the long tradition of observing, exploring, and working with the mind through direct experience. This intricate view of the human experience was coupled with training Western theories & methodologies that helped to ground the work in contemporary, modern life. The ultimate result of this time was a Master’s degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy that would lay the foundation for my life’s work in supporting others on their journey to happiness and greater fulfillment.
Over the last decade I’ve worked in many different capacities as a therapist that have all informed my expertise in family dynamics, systems theory, diversity and equity, and individual and cultural traumas. I take great pride in having spent years working within systems prior to entering private practice: child protection work to reunite families after addressing harmful cycles of generational abuse rooted in trauma, substance use counseling for individuals re-integrating in their communities after incarceration, and supporting chronically homeless men with co-occurring disorders to stabilize and prepare to maintain sustainable lifestyles after receiving housing.
And an important aside…
I tend to show up in session as down-to-earth, good-humored, and much less dry than some of the professional jargon on my site can come across. Reaching out for therapy is a vulnerable process, so I like to remind potential clients that I - like all therapists - am not a brick wall: I am in my own therapy and consider “walking the walk” of grappling whole-heartedly with life to be an integral part of my work with others. In my personal life, I like to spend time outdoors, hiking, biking, rock climbing, and swimming in oceans, lakes, and rivers. I’m a bit obsessive about collecting beach-rocks and aged teas. I play piano and tenor guitar, am building confidence in my singing, and am also sure to balance all this with a healthy dose of often-fruitless meandering. I believe in getting the most out of life, with permission to laze around doing nothing (not even posting about it on instagram) as a key component of this process. It’s a marathon, not a sprint.