Often clients will reach out to me seeking specific treatment for experiences of anxiety and/or depression. Using an integrative approach, we may begin by unpacking the history of these experiences in your life, mapping their influences, and noticing the stories you infer from them. These may be stories you have internalized about yourself and the world around you.

We begin to explore your preferred ways of being: how you want to experience yourself and your relationships. Our conversations continually clarify your goals, identifying ways you may, perhaps without realizing, already experience these goals. We might reflect on those positive experiences to understand what creates them, what meaning you ascribe to them, and how these experiences can be replicated. We might use mindful techniques to facilitate more cognitive and physical awareness. We may use breathwork for nervous system regulation. We might use art and play figures such as dolls, if you are drawn to that approach. Sometimes I map our conversations on the whiteboard as we go along in a session, to help us gain clarity and see structure.

Throughout this process, we approach rewriting your relationships with anxiety and depression through empathy, curiosity, playfulness, and creativity so that ultimately you experience the authorship you desire in your life.

Note: While I do treat a variety of clinical presentations as defined by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5-TR), anxiety and depression are some of the most common experiences I hear from my clients. I use the term experiences rather than symptoms intentionally as a way to de-pathologize the conversation. I believe that pathology-focused language can make people feel like passive victims of their mental health. De-pathologized language emphasizes human agency, resilience, and the capacity for change, helping clients see themselves as active participants in their lives.

Anyone coping with chronic illness—including the loved ones who care for them—understands the emotional burdens that often accompany these health challenges. I have experience working with clients living with conditions such as Alzheimer's, autoimmune diseases like rheumatoid arthritis and IBD, and Parkinson's disease.

In supporting clients through chronic illness, we often work on two complementary levels: external and internal. Externally, we focus on building sustainable support systems by strengthening connections with family, friends, and community resources. Internally, we explore how clients see themselves beyond their diagnosis, examining their core identity and values that remain unchanged by their condition.

We may also explore ways their experience with illness has fostered growth, resilience, or deeper connections—reframing aspects of their journey in empowering ways. By focusing on quality of life, relational health, medical advocacy, and self-compassion, we create a framework that supports both clients and their families in living with greater intention and meaning.

It is a joy for me to work with children and their families. Young clients quickly learn that I'm a big fan of Pixar's "Inside Out" movies, and we often use the emotion characters (through dolls and play) to develop insight, self-awareness, and emotional regulation skills. I particularly enjoy the skill-building and psychoeducational aspects of youth work, especially as children grow and mature.

Whenever possible and appropriate, I actively engage parents and caregivers in the therapeutic process, particularly when working with children ages 12 and under. While I don't provide formal assessments, I screen for potential neurodevelopmental and learning challenges, making referrals for comprehensive evaluations when needed. I also collaborate closely with school services, including IEP teams, to ensure consistent support across environments.

One of the most meaningful aspects of my work is creating opportunities for children to experience secure emotional attachments early in life—a foundation that can positively influence their relationships and well-being for years to come.

Supporting parents and caregivers—including those in the "sandwich generation" who simultaneously care for children and aging parents—is a driving force behind why I became a therapist. My work with parents and caregivers includes supporting those who are:

• Navigating a child's recent diagnosis of a significant health challenge

• Raising a child who experiences the challenges and gifts of neurodiversity

• Supporting adult children who require ongoing or unexpected assistance

• Caring for aging parents or other relatives with chronic illness

Similar to my approach with chronic illness, we examine both external resources and internal strengths. Together, we establish stronger, systemically focused models of care that support not only the individual receiving care, but their family and extended network as well. We discuss and practice healthy boundaries within these complex relational systems.

Drawing on my knowledge of special needs planning services, state and federal resources, and community-based programs, I help families navigate the often overwhelming process of accessing available services. I'm also familiar with public and private senior resources in Kitsap County and can assist families in making informed decisions about elder care. Throughout this process, we advocate both for your loved one and for you as the caregiver, recognizing that your well-being is essential to the entire system's health.

You know the quote, "The one constant in life is change" (Heraclitus). Well, if you don't know it, and you're curious about it, let's discuss it! Life changes, or transitions, are a topic I am passionate about. Whether you're starting a new school, relocating, experiencing career changes, or navigating shifts in relationships or family structure—or perhaps entering entirely new life phases like becoming a parent, launching a young adult to college, or retiring—change is inevitable.

Regardless of how welcome these transitions may be, they often trigger cascading effects until we find ourselves in the middle of a "butterfly effect"—one small change creating infinite ripples. Life transitions frequently test even our strongest coping skills, leaving us craving stability. We may simultaneously grieve the loss of our former life while celebrating the new one, or find ourselves resistant to moving forward even as everything around us demands that we do, creating friction at every turn.

In exploring these changes, I work alongside clients to strengthen their sense of resilience, engage curiosity for deeper insight, and examine their sense of values, commitment, and acceptance.

As a systemic therapist, I'm always listening for how connection is experienced between people in a relationship. I love collaborating with couples and families who are dedicated to building stronger bonds together. We do this by compassionately exploring everyone's perspective and collectively creating a shared value framework that supports the entire system.

Often, couples and families come to therapy feeling stuck in patterns that seem impossible to escape. Through constructive communication tools, emotional attunement, healthy boundary-setting, and identifying shared interests and goals, we work together to free the system from these confining patterns. I see my role as a facilitator of important—and often challenging—conversations, creating a safe environment where new, positive ways of relating can emerge and take root.

Though it may seem unexpected, sitting with others as they navigate grief and loss represents some of my most fulfilling work. In these moments, what truly matters in a person's life becomes clear. There is profound sacredness in witnessing this process.

I support clients experiencing both sudden, unexpected loss and those undergoing longer processes of letting go. Grief extends far beyond the death of loved ones, weaving itself through countless life experiences. We grieve the end of relationships, the closing of chapters, unfulfilled dreams, and even versions of ourselves we leave behind as we grow and change.

Ambiguous loss describes grief that arises when loss lacks clarity or closure, often leaving people suspended between hope and despair. Unlike conventional grief with defined boundaries, ambiguous loss occurs when someone is physically present but psychologically absent, or when they remain psychologically present but are physically gone. This type of loss is especially challenging because it defies typical grief processes—there's no clear moment to begin mourning, no definitive ending to process. The ambiguity can leave individuals feeling stuck, while society often fails to recognize their pain. Shame may compound the experience, making it difficult to find healthy outlets for processing.

Yet people facing ambiguous loss often demonstrate extraordinary resilience, developing fluid strength that allows them to hold contradictory realities simultaneously—maintaining hope while accepting uncertainty, loving deeply while grieving, and finding ways to honor relationships that exist in liminal spaces.

Accompanying clients through grief and ambiguous loss involves collaborative conversations about coping and meaning-making—a process I feel privileged to witness and support.