Where are you located?
How do I set up an initial appointment?
What are your hours?
What’s your cancellation policy?
How often should I attend therapy?
How long are sessions?
Do you take insurance? Why or why not?
What age ranges do you work with?
Do you work with women? Men? Couples?
What can I expect in our first therapy appointment?
During our first therapy appointment, we will review the information you provided on the biopsychosocial assessment and discuss more in-depth what’s bringing you into therapy and your concerns for your mental health. Any information that you feel comfortable sharing about treatment history, family mental health history, trauma history, and current stressors is invaluable.
We also discuss your current coping strategies, strengths, and goals. I encourage my clients to take their time in our first session, be aware that they can share what feels comfortable, and that there can be time in the future for more information to unfold.
What do you do in sessions with clients?
I prefer to start my sessions with the client’s agenda unless we have identified a topic of conversation in our prior session. Talk therapy sessions support clients in understanding feelings, behaviors, relationship dynamics, and coping habits. When needed, we practice grounding or emotional regulation strategies.
I educate clients on best practices for maintaining and improving mental health when interested and can also practice and discuss communication strategies and boundaries. When needed, we create a plan for EMDR sessions that require more structured and focused attention.
What modalities do you use in your client work?
What does an EMDR session look like?
What is your professional training and experience?
Before graduating, I was a Certified Nursing Assistant in memory care facilities. I completed my Master of Arts in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University Twin Cities in Spring 2012. Following this, I trained with young children (ages 2-6) and their families in an Autism Day Treatment facility before transitioning into working with school-aged children and their families in an elementary school as a School-Based Therapist.
Following moving from Minnesota to California, I worked in a men’s residential substance use treatment facility as a residential therapist treating substance use disorders. In 2021, I started working at a corporate mental health setting, supporting adults with various needs until I was laid off in 2023 and started my private practice.
Owning a business has been one of the most rewarding jobs, and I value the clients who choose to work with me.
I have also received the following training: EMDR training completed in 2023, National Board-Certified Health and Wellness Coach in 2024, and Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP) training with Fluency in 2025.
How will you help me with my specific problems?
I will help with your specific problems by building trust and respect and creating a safe and nonjudgmental supportive space. I encourage new clients to meet weekly and, if needed, to accommodate financial or scheduling constraints every other week.
Aligning with the client’s goals reinforces and focuses myself and session conversations to keep the why of our work in mind. I use gentle reflections and guiding questions to understand how emotions, behaviors, and thoughts commingle. My clients often feel relief after each session and can start seeing progress and changes in their mental health in under two months. Each client’s specific problems requires a unique approach and tailored attention to their needs, goals, and emotions.
What else must a client know to make the most out of working with you?
To make the most out of working with me, I appreciate clients who work between sessions, whether it’s breath work, journaling, physical movement, attending to healthy sleeping habits, or monitoring substance use. The therapy room is a safe place to discuss what’s been attempted throughout the week, what worked, and what didn’t stick.
We reconvene each session to re-evaluate goals and needs to build flexibility and commitment to doing the work outside of the session. If it’s a problem you’ve been struggling with for quite some time, more than an hour of work each week is needed to see change. I work with my clients to build this stamina, commitment to mental health, and interest in self-care.
How do you balance your mental health?
I enjoy the work I do, and I feel lucky to be fulfilled when meeting with my clients. I won’t lie; working as a therapist can be heavy some days, and I’ve learned a lot about my mental health. I attend to my mental health through being active with walking, strength training, and yoga.
I also work hard to avoid habits that give me poor sleep. I’ve been sensitive my whole life to my sleep patterns being easily disrupted, so I try to monitor what I consume (food, media, and alcohol), give myself space to journal, read, or meditate, and be mindful of healthy relationships. I engage in individual and group therapy several times when I need the community to support my healing. I also love listening to music and dancing!
Have you tried Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy?
What can we talk about if I don’t know what to say?
Dogs or cats?
Anything furry – I would love to own a giant rabbit! I love all animals, but at the end of the day, I am a dog person. I enjoy being active with a companion.
Electric or Gas?
I currently own an electric vehicle and have to say that it has some ‘get up and go!’ I love and enjoy driving it, which aligns with my ecological values. However, if someone were to gift me a gas Porsche, I might HAVE to drive it. But now they are making those electric, too!
