From my end, I will bring to our relationship a sense of genuineness and non-judgment, down-to-earth warmth, and gentle humor along with professional expertise. My approach is collaborative and relational; I aim to help you move through the world with a deepening sense of ease, trust and connection. My goal is to help you foster and develop your own healthy instincts.  

 

My practice is rooted in a psychodynamic / psychoanalytic approach to healing. This means I listen deeply to what you are saying with your words and body language, and I listen to my own intuition and training as you speak.

 

I give attention and care to what is happening between us in the therapy room. I attend to what is conscious and what may be unconscious in your experience. Together we get curious about your feelings, and about how your past might be influencing your present. When we make space for what is just at the edge of your awareness, your understanding of yourself expands, as do your choices and capabilities. 

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To guide my work, I draw on varied schools of psychological and philosophical thought. I integrate current scholarship from psychoanalytic theory, attachment theory, neuroscience, and somatic, trauma-informed research.​ I strive to be flexible and open in my work and am actively engaged in anti-oppression work, both personally and professionally. I honor diversity and accordingly welcome people from all walks of life. 

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My background in ecology – the study of how complex natural systems interact to resiliently adapt and grow — informs my belief that change and growth happen naturally, when we honor and more fully inhabit who and where we are.

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As a longtime gardener, natural metaphors may come into our work together. I will use my relationship with the wild as a guide to support your growth and healing, and am happy to help you connect with your own sense of knowing and inner wilds.​

 

I've studied the broad global issues of our time. These include the climate crisis, our relationship to each other and to our surrounding environments, the world's economic systems, social inequalities, and justice movements throughout history. I find an understanding of history and these larger systems perspectives invaluable in my work as a therapist. I believe we are not separate from the world around us, and that the personal is political.  For me, therapy is a subtle yet powerful activism: a way to directly support the values of justice, inclusivity, diversity, creativity and compassion in the lives of my patients and the communities to which they belong. 

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Education: 

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The Psychotherapy Institute - Berkeley, CA - two year advanced post-graduate training in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

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Climate Psychology Alliance - Climate-Aware Psychotherapy seminars course

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Integral Counseling Center - San Francisco, CA - two year practicum and internship in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy

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California Institute of Integral Studies - San Francisco, CA - Masters Degree, Counseling Psychology

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Gestalt Process Group with Frank Rubenfeld - 8+ years of study of Gestalt theory and emergent processes

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University of Wisconsin - Madison, WI - BS, BA, Life Sciences Communication and International Relations

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PROfessional Affiliations: 

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