About Me.

I am warm and welcoming.

I cultivate an atmosphere of openness.

I value humor.

MY STORY

Since my young adulthood I have been drawn to counseling. I began my professional journey in the feminist lay-counseling world. I provided rape crisis, domestic violence, LGBTQI hate crime, and suicide prevention counseling to a number of organizations prior to entering graduate school. Much of this work, as well as my background in sociology and social justice, informs my current work. Choosing to become a Clinical Social Worker was largely based on the field’s commitment to awareness of oppression and the social factors that impact people that may contribute to their individual experiences and mental health challenges.

MY TRAINING

I attended Smith College School for Social Work because of its commitment to social justice as well as mental health issues. There I developed my skills in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy, which are steeped in theory as well as practice. After working in community mental health for a number of years I chose to branch off into private practice. This has allowed me to combine the art (creativity) and the science (theory) of Psychotherapy. I have been in private practice for 19 years, serving diverse communities in Portland, Oregon.