I was once published in a world-renowned newspaper. And by published, I mean side-column featured. And by world-renowned newspaper, I mean my middle school’s low-budget media class project. I was voted by my fellow classmates that year as “Class Clown” and “Most Mature." I mention this not because I bask in the glory of my middle school days (is that a thing?), but because these apparent opposing parts of myself have always been true to me. Balancing humor and the heaviness of humanity is how I engage in the world, because I have learned we cannot eliminate pain, hardship or undesired parts of ourselves. In attempting to do so myself, I exacerbated an internal struggle for many years. Perhaps you can relate. 

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Why Trauma Therapy?

 

The year before I was published in a large scale newspaper, my hometown was in newspapers across the world for a horrible tragedy. One that impacted my community immensely, with many ripple effects. Years later I wanted to understand the impact of such events and help communities heal from trauma, which is why I pursued my Master’s in International Disaster Psychology. I decided working as a therapist was my true passion because I love this work, and I believe in the ripple effects of healing too. I know various disasters disproportionately affect under-resourced communities and recognize that accumulative traumatic experiences are often a result of systems of oppression as well. This is why I stray from defining trauma and disaster. After all, your experience is yours. It is the impact of your story that we work with.

 

Throughout my professional experiences, I have worked in community mental health as a therapist, victim’s advocate, behavioral health disaster responder, trauma-informed yoga teacher and wellness coach, walking alongside people who want to find better ways to cope with raw life experiences. In my free time, I love to spend time with my loved ones, travel, practice yoga, procrastinate, get into nature, make jewelry, sew and rehabilitate thrifted furniture. I believe in the power of the multi-passionate individual! Many of my clients identify this way as well. 

 

I know finding a therapist is not easy. It is hard to know who and what will be a good fit by just reading a website. I recognize that I am not the therapist for everyone and I know rapport and trust is so important to the therapeutic process. I’d love to utilize a free 15 minute consult to get a better pulse on whether we find it is a mutual good fit. If you would prefer to go in a different direction, I have a wide network of therapists to refer you to as well.