Healing can only occur within an environment of genuine connection. I strive to foster this not just in my own life, but also in my relationships with clients and in their relationships with their families.
In my previous clinical experiences I used DBT in a variety of settings, from court-involved survivors of human trafficking, to people struggling with severe and chronic mental illness, to private undergraduate students. Regardless of setting, the philosophy underpinning DBT is finding balance between acceptance and change. This is powerful because it allows space for simultaneous compassion and growth. A quote from Maya Angelou hangs by my desk and reads, “Do the best you can until you know better. Then, when you know better, you do better.”
I specialize in working with clients who have experienced trauma and those in the LGBTQIA+ community. In addition to DBT, I incorporate trauma-focused, attachment-based, and self-compassion interventions into my clinical work. In 2019, I won best poster at an international DBT conference for my research finding that increasing self-compassion can be a protective factor against suicide and self-harm in people who struggle with emotion dysregulation.
People with intense emotions often feel excluded and misunderstood. However, when they can learn the skills to relate effectively to their emotions, their capacity for connection with both their own suffering and that of others drives passion, creativity, and deeply fulfilling relationships.
