We are shaped by the relationships that matter the most.
I believe in the power of curiosity, humility, and repair and the way they bring healing and hope to families and future generations. I’ve come to know that perfection isn’t necessary or possible. I’m simply here to help you have the conversations you’re not having.
I come to this work as both a parent and a daughter.
As a parent I have learned humility and repair the hard way. I thought the fact that I was already a therapist with years of training in attachment, coping skills and relationships before becoming a parent myself was somehow going to be my golden ticket to “success.” There’s no way I could screw this up, right? Wrong. So very wrong.
I have been that parent (and partner!) laden with shame and guilt. Yelling, losing my cool, going through a separation, struggling with workaholism, spending too much time on my phone, questioning every decision and boundary, you name it. I have seen fear, grief, and disappointment in the eyes of my child as a result of my direct actions and inactions. I am not proud to name those truths, but I do believe in the power of truth-telling and vulnerability as vehicles for profound change. And I believe in the power of safe and authentic human connection to facilitate healing.
I have witnessed the power of repair both personally and professionally over the years. I have leaned into imperfection, failure, and vulnerability in all my relationships, and I know firsthand the gift of repair, and the courage it takes to talk about the hard stuff. Professionally I have been honored to witness hundreds of brave, transformative conversations between loved ones over the years, and I hope to bear witness to yours, too.
I provide coaching, education, training, and consultation at the intersection of an ecological model of attachment theory, polyvagal theory, and internal family systems. I operate from a harm reductionist, culturally humble, and informed consent framework.
We cannot divorce ourselves of our humanity, which is why I’m committed to showing up authentically in our work together. I’m direct and loving with a flexible perspective and sense of humor. My work supports individuals, partners of all kinds, and families to build skills and restore balance.
These are the values woven into my work…
The Impact of Relationships
When we're confident in our family and connection to community they become our sacred cheerleaders, creating an inner resilience that helps us navigate an unpredictable world.
A Balanced Perspective
I recognize each person's lived experience as important, and also see the bigger picture with all its potential influences.
The Power of Mistakes
Being human means we're imperfect. In my work, I focus less on a need to get it right and instead on the skills of repair and reconnection when we screw it up.
Breaking the Cycle
As we break dysfunctional relationships patterns, we disrupt ancestral trauma and tell a brand new story that can be felt throughout past and future generations.
Professional Experience
I am a queer-identified Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW-C009084) and Licensed Clinical Addictions Specialist (LCAS-3129).
I earned a Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Pennsylvania, and a B.A. in an independently designed major, with a focus on gender and sexuality studies, from Hampshire College. I have co-founded two residential treatment programs, and developed and taught curricula and programming for multiple organizations in both the business and non-profit sectors. I have been a leader in the design, implementation, and facilitation of clinical programming in multiple substance use and mental health treatment settings, socially and culturally conscious sexual education curriculum in urban public high schools, and an HIV/AIDS education pilot program currently implemented in Eswatini. I have worked for the past 12 years as a trauma therapist for young adults, and a family coach for their parents and other loved ones, in a variety of settings including inpatient residential treatment, sober living programs, high schools, and private practice.
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▹ Emotionally-Focused Family Therapy Training
▹ Gestalt Therapy (year-long intensive)
▹ DaRE Somatic Attachment Training I and II
▹ Somatic Attachment Training
▹ Gottman Method Couples Therapy Level II
▹ Nonverbal Elements of Attachment
▹ LGBTQ+ Affirmative Certification (year-long program including over 50-hours of course work plus 20-hours of supervision)
▹ Grief and Grieving
▹ EMDR - Basic Training as well as advanced trainings
▹ Internal Family Systems (IFS) - Foundations Course for Trans, Nonbinary and Queer Clinicians
▹ IFS and Trans Communities
▹ Somatic Experiencing - Beginner II
▹ Yoga and Trauma
▹ Extensive trainings related to Substance Abuse and Co-Occurring Disorders
▹ Action Intervention Training (Pre-Intervention, Intervention, and Post-Intervention)
▹ Clinical Supervision Certificate Training
▹ Gender ASSET Training
▹ Unraveling the Acronym: Understanding LGBTQIA2+ Experiences and Subcultures
▹ “Are You Doing It Wrong?” Anti-Racism in Therapeutic Spaces Training
▹ “Dear White Therapists” Training
▹ Spiritual Activism I and II
▹ Whiteness at Work/Rework Summer Series
▹ Multiple trainings through the Check Your Privilege Co-Conspirator’s Lounge
▹ Me and White Supremacy Workbook and facilitated groups
Learn the Foundations of Confident Connection
This is my essentials course for all my coaching clients!
This course takes years of therapy training and research and distills the highlights down into one jam-packed, robustly resourced, self-paced course. The information in this course should not be gatekept. You should know about it, and you shouldn’t have to rack up years of therapy bills in the process.
In this course you’ll learn…
an expanded view of an ecological model of attachment
all about interpersonal neurobiology and how to break cycles of trauma
get curious about internal family systems and how to heal from the inside out
opportunities to practice new coping skills
All of those teachings along with guided meditations, journal prompts, and a robust resource toolkit.