About my approach to therapy

My primary goal as your therapist is to create a safe space for you to explore who you are, your life experiences, and what you would like to become or experience, by providing a non-judgmental, respectful, calm, stable, and positive environment during our time together. I will encourage and guide you to be your authentic self, and help you work toward tangible ways to live authentically, whatever that journey might look like for each individual person. Along with a strong base of person-centered therapy, and while taking into account how society, culture, and family shape us, I may use cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), strengths-based therapy, mindfulness, DBT-informed therapy, EMDR, and aspects of other therapies as needed for each unique client. I enjoy and find value in teaching life skills (“adulting”), coping skills, assertive communication, boundary setting, and other communication skills, mindfulness, and doing relationship counseling. I am a kink-informed and sex positive therapist. I practice cultural humility / cultural sensitivity, and am active in advocacy work in a number of communities because I believe that in order for folks’ mental health to improve, conditions in society must improve.

About my background and training

I first began to consider becoming a therapist to the LGBTQIA+ community while doing social justice work, and subsequently went on my own personal growth and career change journey to land at Rollins College in the Orlando, FL area for my Masters of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. While continuing to do advocacy work on local, state, and federal levels, I have now interned, volunteered, and/or contracted as a counselor to LGBTQIA+ clients via many Central Florida-based non-profits since 2013. In the past few years, I have expanded to also specialize in working with folks in non-monogamous relationships, whether through their individual counseling or with relationship counseling. I love to learn, and am currently working to increase my ability to help clients process trauma, which includes recently completing basic training in EMDR.

About my work (ideal clients)

The populations I specialize in counseling include people who identify within the broad spectrums of sexual orientation and/or gender identity and expression (including their loved ones and allies), persons living with HIV, and polyamorous folks and others in non-monogamous or open relationships. I am a cisgender woman who has been providing gender-affirming therapy to gender expansive / transgender / non-binary / gender questioning clients age 13 and up consistently since 2013. I have experience working with clients with anxiety, depression, trauma, low self-esteem, and those who are going through life changes. I’m also glad to work with my fellow feminists (of all genders), introverts, and/or Highly Sensitive Persons.

About me

When I’m not attending a live music concert or traveling, I can be found cuddling with my black cat at the end of the day.