Approach to Therapy
I started doing this work in part because I know how painful it can be to not feel you are “enough.” I know how doubting and criticizing yourself constantly leads to depression, anxiety, and general despair. I know how it eats away at your soul and sucks the life out of everything. I know how exhausting it is to criticize and doubt yourself constantly. I also recognize how hard it is to let go of your inner critic. They may make you miserable, but hey…what else do you say to yourself if you aren’t beating yourself up? What would that even be like? I have had to challenge my own story and inner critic over time, and one of my great joys in life is helping others learn to embrace who they are and challenge their ideas about who they should be.
I want to be clear that I don’t approach this work by just telling you to think about things differently. I know it is not that easy. You won’t get any thought logs or worksheets from me.
Sometimes we know at some level that the things we say to ourselves are not logical or helpful, but we don’t really know a different way to be or feel. It isn’t a matter of just changing the way you think. I won’t promise you a quick fix because I honestly don’t believe that there is one for most problems. If you want me to give you the answer, I am not your therapist. I will help you find your own answers. I promise to be with you in the struggle of figuring out how to have a different relationship with yourself. I will be there for the bumps along the way. I will help you chart your own course and find your own way to feel differently about your life.
Qualifications
I am a licensed psychologist in Oregon (#3832) and Maryland (#05209). I provide virtual services in both states. I also provide limited in-person services in Portland, Oregon. I earned my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Virginia Commonwealth University. I completed my internship training at the APA-Accredited VA Los Angeles Ambulatory Care Center and my postdoctoral fellowship at the Center for Eating Disorders at Sheppard Pratt. I have experience working in both inpatient and outpatient settings with patients who have many different types of difficulties. Most recently I worked at Chase Brexton Health Care, a federally qualified health center providing specialized care to members of the LGBTQ community.
I have completed extensive postgraduate training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy through the Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis (WBCP). I also have experience training and supervising other mental health professionals and offer supervision and consultation to professionals interested in psychoanalytic psychotherapy.
Professional Affiliations & Memberships
National Register of Health Service Psychologists (#54132)
Maryland Psychological Association, Member
Oregon Psychological Association, Member
American Psychoanalytic Association - Candidate Member
Washington Baltimore Center for Psychoanalysis, Candidate & Member
