About Me
I specialize in working with people who experience chronic shame, which can often appear as anxiety and depression or a persistent sense that something is wrong with no clear cause. I work with clients who have experienced trauma or neglect, as well as clients who feel that something is off but have a hard time saying why.
I know this territory from specialized training, but also from walking this path myself. Doing my own inner work has helped me to feel more present and connected in my life, and to feel more alive and more myself.
I delight in getting to know my clients for who they are. On this path there is room for all aspects of you and your humanity. I show up as myself as well, a fellow traveler and humble guide, a serious person who loves to laugh and who doesn't take herself too seriously.
Two things stand out that clients like about working with me: I'm present and engaged, exploring with you and asking questions that help you to know and feel yourself, and your stuck points, more fully. I don't just nod my head while you talk. My clients have shared that they understand themselves more deeply than before, experience themselves with more compassion than they expected to, and notice themselves shifting the patterns they once felt stuck in.
I especially enjoy working with people who are curious about themselves and who are interested in doing the challenging but rewarding work of exploring their inner landscape.
My Professional Background
I am a Registered Associate Professional Clinical Counselor (#18637), supervised by Sebastian Beca, LMFT (#134131). I hold a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling with a Mindfulness-Based Transpersonal Concentration from Naropa University, a program grounded in the contemplative traditions that inform how I practice: the understanding that awareness, presence, and compassion are not just ideas but capacities that can be cultivated and lived.
My primary clinical training is in NARM (the NeuroAffective Relational Model), a depth-oriented, body-informed approach to developmental trauma and complex PTSD. I am trained through the advanced level and am currently completing the NARM Master Therapist program. I also draw from Gestalt psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic psychotherapy, sandtray therapy, and expressive arts.
I am trained in equine-assisted psychotherapy and plan to offer this work again in the near future.
A little about me personally:
I love to make art, and I fully embrace the word “amateur” which in French simply means ‘lover of.’ I am a lover of the feeling of making things, and a lover of craft supplies--I have too many for my own good. I am a lover of books. I love reading and writing, because I love words, and I hate AI for ruining the em dash—formerly my favorite punctuation. I love poetry, which has been my companion since I was a teenager. Mary Oliver was my first and most beloved poet. I love walking the golden hills of Santa Cruz County. And, most especially, I love my kid. Being a mom is what has most made an amateur of me—one who loves and does so humbly.
I was a teacher in my previous career, and I also worked as a metalsmith for several years. I loved many things about those jobs as well, which have shaped the way I listen and the way I see.
