I love my job. I get to accompany people as they courageously grapple with what it means to be human, in terms of relationships, inner experience, and meaning. Using psychotherapy and (sometimes) medication, my role is to support my patients’ inner wisdom by providing space and structure for the natural, unstoppable healing process to take place.
My areas of specialty are anxiety, depression, co-dependency, and trauma. People who resonate with my style typically enjoy open-ended, collaborative, exploratory, “depth psychotherapy” type work. I bring humor, spirituality, and narrative into the mix, as appropriate. I also incorporate somatic practices, mindfulness, dream work, and guided meditation when patients are amenable. I recently designed and taught the Nervous System Reset class at Baywell, sharing body-based practices for centering and calming.
I continue to learn about the ways white supremacy, cis-hetero-patriarchy, capitalism, ableism, and other systems of oppression impact psychological well-being, and I seek to understand the unique way each person is impacted by and responds to these forces.
I believe that honoring climate grief and eco-anxiety is an important aspect of mental health treatment today. These “symptoms” are signs of humanity, not pathology, and can be held therapeutically in treatment. I am facilitating a group called From Anxiety to Action to address the intense emotions surrounding climate breakdown, starting on October 15, 2020.
Psychiatric medication is a powerful tool to be wielded with respect. Addressing the biochemical aspect of mental health requires strong communication about medication options and the complexities of the potential risks and benefits. I also make a point of staying up to date on the evidence base, interactions, and safety and quality concerns for supplements and herbs used in mental health treatment.
I went to UCSF for medical school and did my residency training at San Mateo County. But honestly, at work I draw just as much on my undergraduate degree in English, the way literature taught me to appreciate nuance, subjectivity, and the transformative power of storytelling. I am still an avid reader and also enjoy yoga, tea, cats, and time in nature with my loved ones.
