About Me: It took me years to finally find a therapist who I felt safe to express my full self to. Before this, I thought that I was okay because I was able to understand myself and my trauma on an intellectual level, and yet was living with chronic pain, autoimmune issues, and high-functioning depression. Because I felt safe with her, I was finally able to express a lifetime of trauma through emotional, somatic, and artistic expression. Through this process, I found my true identity as a loving mother, an artist, a deep thinker, and a person capable of authentic compassion for others while also caring for myself. I continue to face challenges in my healing process, yet I now know how to return to my true self, to my community, and to the knowledge that no wound is too deep to heal especially with the support of a caring and genuine therapist.

 

Methodology: I believe that talk therapy can only do so much when it comes to healing trauma. I have therefore received trainings in EMDR Therapy, Expressive Arts Therapy, Somatic-focused Therapy, and Internal Family Systems. Both from my lived experience and from the research I have done throughout my career, I believe strongly that trauma treatment must include an integration of the mind and the body. I also place high value on the person-in-environment framework which means that I consider all of the social and relational systems that impact the story of who a person is. These modalities help clients find a voice and mend the connection to self and others that trauma and oppression so often disrupt. 

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Areas of Specialty: PTSD/Complex PTSD, domestic violence, religious abuse, anxiety, depression, childhood sexual abuse, divorce, narcissistic abuse, 2SLGBTQIA+ population, gender-affirming care, Borderline Personality Disorder, self-harm, chronic pain, ADHD, co-dependency 

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Education: University of Chicago - Crown Family School of Social Work, Policy, and Practice - Class of 2016

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