Services
About My Clients
I offer in-person therapy for individuals between the ages of 18 and 64, Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. I specialize in assisting clients with difficult life transitions. I have extensive experience with supporting the LGBTQIA+ community and other marginalized populations. I can provide you with an itemized receipt (or "superbill") for you to obtain out-of-network reimbursement from your health insurance. I offer sliding scale pricing if you are experiencing financial hardship.
My Background and Approach
I earned a MA in Counseling Psychology at Santa Clara University in 2007 and completed internship hours by working with Transitional Age Youth and LGBTQIA+ clients. Since then, I've supported clients of various backgrounds with a range of mild to severe mental health problems in private practice and community-based settings. I have training and experience in providing evidence-based, trauma-informed, and culturally responsive care. I acknowledge my privilege and strive to provide culturally responsive, inclusive, and affirming care to all. I conceptualize therapy from a psychodynamic perspective, but I often use other therapeutic tools to meet the unique needs of each client. As your affirming and candid ally, I'll support you with raising your level of awareness, processing the impact of life events, identifying counterproductive patterns of relating, exploring alternative ways of relating, and intentionally living in alignment with your therapeutic goals.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
From a very young age I was told, “You’re too sensitive,” “Boys don’t talk that way,” and “Boys don’t stand that way.” After years of hearing this, I started to believe that my ways of thinking, feeling, and being were not o.k. My sensitivity was even a loved one’s stated reason for why I shouldn’t become a therapist. Thankfully, I followed my intuition and became a therapist anyway. I believe that a secure therapeutic relationship is essential for therapy to be successful. I worked with an amazing therapist before, during, and after graduate school who helped me heal and grow by first developing a trusting and empathic therapeutic relationship. Looking back, I now see how people may have been afraid for (or of) that highly attuned gay boy in Catholic school in a small conservative town in the 80s. What negative messages have you internalized? Maybe you and I can use the therapeutic relationship to improve how you relate with yourself and others and build the future you want.