I believe counseling is most powerful when it sensitizes you to what’s happening in your mind, heart, and body and helps you meet whatever you find with compassion. Feeling your feels (literally) is the first step to making sense of them. Within that confusion is the possibility of deeper self-knowledge and freedom.
Therapeutic Approach
My work is informed by Gestalt, somatics, yoga, mindfulness, and mindful self-compassion. That means therapy with me is:
Relational
Experiential
Here-and-now focused
Mind-body oriented
What does that look like in session?
Emotions live in the body. They are the drop in your gut, the tightness in your chest, the tingling sense of possibility, and energetic waves of gratitude. Many of us are cut off from our bodies and the important information they carry. Together, we slow down and notice these sensations in the present moment, so that you can learn from them—where they come from, what beliefs they hold, and what they know about your needs, values, and preferences. In this process, I’m your companion and collaborator, reflecting your experience and your own best advice. We learn through relationship, which means my role is to listen to you with compassion and acceptance until you learn to do the same in your relationship with yourself.
Healing happens when we live into this question: How can I meet whatever comes up in me with curiosity and compassion?
Training
I completed my Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and a graduate certificate in Multicultural and Social Justice Counseling at the University of Missouri - St. Louis in 2023. I’ve also attended workshops and trainings in Somatic Experiencing (SE), Hakomi, and Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga (TCTSY). I find inspiration in the natural world and have taken courses in agroecology and permaculture design. I have also practiced yoga and mindfulness for over 15 years and study the Feldenkrais method.
Supervisor: Rebecca Ehrke, Psy.D., SEP