Frequently Asked Questions

Though the process of therapy varies based on your needs, it usually includes a few common components.

In the first phase, we’ll generally meet weekly, and we’ll work together to develop goals based on the issues bringing you to therapy, the outcomes you’re hoping for, and your strengths and preferences. I’ll also ask questions to understand your life, your support systems, your health and family history, and your identities and values.

Next, we’ll work on the goals you’ve identified, maintaining flexibility for other things that come up for you or priorities or conditions that change. Sometimes goals can be met pretty straightforwardly, and clients may choose to end services or drop down to less frequent meetings.

Other times—such as with complex trauma or identity formation—people may find that it takes some time to develop a sense of safety and a more complete understanding of their own needs, and they may find that a more long-term therapy process is supportive. You get to decide what feels best for you.

I work with adults and adolescents who are experiencing life changes or identity shifts, or experience themselves as outside the norm in some way.

I see a lot of neurodivergent and queer folks, people dealing with chronic illness, deconstructing religious trauma, navigating marginalized relationship styles (poly, kink), working to break generational cycles, or processing trauma from chronic stress and invalidation. I also work a lot with burnout, stress and overwhelm, and with boundaries and assertiveness.

You don’t have to have these identities to work with me. You might be straight and not neurodivergent and still find this space supportive. That’s okay. If you think my approach may be helpful for you, please reach out—we’ll schedule a free 20-minute consult so we can discuss whether I’d be a good fit for your needs.

It depends! I adapt my approach based on what you need. For example, while I naturally tend towards unstructured sessions where you bring whatever you’d like to focus on and we let the conversation flow (there’s often powerful insight in the meandering), I also bring in structure if you find it helpful–some people prefer to set an agenda or get a push when they get too far off topic.

In any case, you can expect me to show up in a way that’s relational, informal, flexible, curious, and affirming. 

The content of a therapy session can range from a focused conversation where you work through specific concerns, to an unstructured chat that might feel more like an exploration, to a Brainspotting session where you may or may not choose to talk at all.

You don’t have to have any particular knowledge or vocabulary or show up any particular way–I encourage you to tell me if you’re feeling nervous or unsure of where to start.

In general, anything you talk about in therapy remains confidential. However, there are rare situations where I’m legally mandated to break confidentiality (for example, if there is imminent danger of serious harm to you or others). I’ll review all of this with you in our first session and any time you have questions.

I try to steer away from advice-giving. Direct advice is often presumptuous and not helpful; it can miss the nuance that comes from your expertise in your own experience. You’re the one who makes your own decisions. I offer reflection, observation, and curiosity to help you think things through. If you want input or ideas, I’m open to offering them, but I find that the ideas you land on yourself are better suited.

I also avoid unconditional validation, which, likewise, is unhelpful. If something is unclear to me, I’ll ask you about it. That said, people with CPTSD can be very self-critical, so sometimes therapy can feel like unconditional validation because it’s so different than the way you speak to yourself. Please know that you can depend on me to be honest with you, and I greatly appreciate honesty in return.

You can let me know by text, email, or voicemail. I request that you let me know as soon as you can. Many therapists have late cancellation fees, and with good reason—if people frequently cancel too close to the scheduled session time, it becomes impossible to make those appointments available to others.

However, as someone who has chosen neurodivergent folks and chronically ill folks as a client population, and who also fits into those categories myself, I do not charge late cancellation fees.

If frequent late cancellations begin to create logistical issues or affect the therapeutic process, I’ll discuss other options with you (for example, scheduling flexibly as-needed instead of maintaining a reserved weekly time).

Please note that I do have a no-show fee of up to your session rate, which applies if you miss a session without contacting me at all.

Mixes of pronouns (she/they, they/he, all pronouns, etc), referred to as “rolling pronouns,” often indicate that they can be rotated or used interchangeably.

I’m comfortable being referred to using she pronouns or they pronouns, and I don’t have a strong preference between the two. For me, they reflect a nonbinary gender identity that sometimes leans more femme.

I include my pronouns on my website and in my email to welcome questions and conversation, and to affirm that I value gender identity exploration, both from a personal and professional perspective.

For more about pronouns, check out this primer from the LGBT foundation.

There’s no perfect way to practice anti-oppresive therapy, because the systems therapy sits in are oppressive in themselves. Though Social Work has always had a radical contingent, it has also been a tool of the carceral state and a pillar in carrying out the agenda of the ruling class (see Paul Kivel’s work on social services work as the “buffer zone”). I don’t have the answers. But here are some things I prioritize in my work:

-Thinking beyond the medical model of mental health that says you are a problem that needs to be fixed, instead of supporting you in examining the social and material conditions you’re responding to and recognizing that therapy is political.

-Flattening hierarchy wherever possible—respecting your autonomy, knowledge, and values, and prioritizing informed consent.

-Remaining open to critique, challenge, and questions, and committing to self-reflection and flexibility.

I believe you! It’s not uncommon for people with marginalized identities to experience invalidation and even threats to safety in medical and mental health settings.

There are also a lot of commonly-used therapeutic approaches that aren’t well-adapted for neurodivergence, complex trauma, and things like aphantasia or other brain/thought differences.

And sometimes, a therapist or approach just isn’t the right fit for you.

I encourage you to tell me about your past negative experiences early on—in the free consult before we start therapy, or in the first one or two appointments, so I can understand what didn’t work for you.

I also welcome and greatly appreciate feedback. It can be hard to tell your therapist if something isn’t working for you, but please be assured that I want to know so we can adjust.