Suffering: The challenge of being

Life is composed of ongoing transitions, which can be bewildering, difficult and often painful. I am honored to work with folks as they grow, deepen and evolve their self-understanding. I am committed to accompanying you as we investigate the nature of suffering as it presents in your experience.

Cultivating greater awareness, emotional resilience and self-compassion begins with truly feeling your feelings–this is the challenge of being. As a trauma-informed therapist I prioritize safety and believe that the therapeutic relationship can clarify important underlying attachment patterns and serve as a place for experimentation and growth.

Cultivating self-compassion: Awareness and Curiosity

In therapy we may explore aliveness: how you first learned love, developed an identity, expressed boundaries and sought connection with others. Each of us is unique: in emotions, bodies and minds. Every person experiences the world through a singular lens. Our reality is profoundly shaped by the culture, class and family system in which we were born and raised. By patiently bringing curiosity to how you internally relate to yourself and the world at large, compassionate psychotherapy is an enlivening, pragmatic and liberatory practice.

Whole-hearted effort: Practice being human

There is nothing wrong with you, and you may want to make a few improvements (paraphrasing Zen teacher Suzuki Roshi). In therapy we honor your whole self; however complicated, confusing, wounded or hopeless that self may feel at times. In therapy everything is welcome: shame, confusion, sorrow, joy, bewilderment, grief, uncertainty. The whole spectrum of darkness and light are vital aspects of your incomparable humanity.