Before I graduated with my Master's in Counseling Psychology, I was having a very tough conversation with someone extremely close to me. In that conversation, they said to me "I do not have hope." My response, which stuck even in the moment, was "I will hold Hope for you, then."
Though this came from an experience that was deeply personal, it became a corner-stone of how I understand the work I do professionally. Several such distinct moments in my life, and my career, have deeply influenced the perspectives from which I operate, the attentiveness I pay to the holistic experience and expertise of those I am privileged enough to walk alongside for some portion of their journey, and even the way my practice is operated.
Our humanity, and our authenticity within it, unique to each and every individual, is a vital component of the work I do, and one which I am deeply committed to. Queer Informed Narrative Therapy is a core part of the goals and commitments of my therapeutic work, and the philosophy from which I both work and live. I experience myself as someone deeply committed to the principles of Narrative Therapy, Queer Informed Narrative Therapy, therapeutic access, de-pathologization, and culturally informed care for LGBQAA+, transgender, gender non-conforming, and intersex communities. Reaching these goals is something supported not just by providing therapy directly to individuals, but also in my extensive provision of training, teaching, supervision, consultation, and competency development with other mental health workers, at all levels.
Traditional ideas of therapy are often sterile, distant, and presume that the therapist is the expert on the world and, thus, on the individual(s) they are seeing as well. My perspective is quite different; I believe that showing up as authentically as possible and creating real relationships are key to the therapeutic process - not just when seeking therapy, but also when providing it.
When I am engaged in therapy with people, it is my belief that they will always be the expert on their own life. My role is to walk beside folks, and perhaps to point out overgrown or subtle paths that split off from the well-worn roads of their life, and which they perhaps did not notice. While I do consider myself primarily a Queer Informed Narrative Therapist, I am first and foremost client-guided - what matters to me is that someone is getting what they feel is what they need from our time together.
Please feel free to explore this website, as there is a fair amount of content and information to explore. Perhaps it will influence whether or not I will have the privilege of walking alongside you for a time, as well.
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, License # 112607