My Approach

If you are overwhelmed by life and at the same time find the idea of calling a counselor all the more overwhelming, you are feeling like many people who seek counseling! All of us struggle at some point in our lives; getting the right support allows us to transform some of those difficult times into manageable challenges and even growth opportunities.

I strongly believe that no one is “broken” or in need of “fixing”. In fact, human beings are beautifully resilient and profoundly creative in adapting to difficult circumstances. But our ways of surviving, however effective in the moment, don’t always allow us to thrive; and that leaves us feeling “stuck”. Counseling is a way to take stock of the habits you have developed to face challenges, and decide which ones are still effective and which ones are not. This allows us to move towards healing old wounds and developing new strategies so that you may experience more love and joy in your life.

I also believe that knowledge is empowering, which means that at the end of our work together there should be nothing I know about you or what could be helpful to you that you don’t fully know and own. Knowing oneself means understanding the “how” and “why” behind some of our puzzling emotions, thoughts, or behaviors. Remember, surviving difficult times doesn’t always mean feeling good; sometime surviving can feel more like clenching our teeth. In those cases, we need a little help to make sure our resilience creates joy as well.

In the process of supporting your goals, I hope to offer a caring and trusting working relationship. It is very important to me that you feel welcomed, respected, and valued in all of your identities, so that you can bring your whole self to the healing and growth process. Trust is earned, and it is a key value of mine to deserve yours.

My specialties

I specialize in working with young adults and adults who experience anxiety or depression and who want to find balance through the challenges that come with life transitions (e.g., surrounding relationships, work, parenthood, school). Given my own international upbringing and my experience in multicultural counseling, I also enjoy working with clients of diverse or international backgrounds, and people who seek to better integrate or explore different aspects of their socio-cultural identities.

I also work with individuals who have experienced traumatic events as well as social justice activists, mental/health professionals, first responders, or caregivers experiencing compassion fatigue or vicarious trauma. I offer evidence-based trauma treatments, including EMDR and mindfulness-based therapies. 

In all of my work, I integrate an understanding of brain functioning and neuroscience, focusing on how it informs both symptom development and choice of treatment.

What to expect from our counseling sessions

At the beginning of our very first session, we’ll discuss briefly the paperwork you have completed and I’ll answer any questions you might still have about my approach or policies. The first session or two are dedicated to exploring what brought you to counseling and what you would like to get from our work together. I will begin sharing my thoughts about what might have led to some of the challenges you are experiencing and about specific ways we might address them.

This initial assessment will allow me to get to know you while giving you a sense of who I am and how I work, so that you can experience how it might feel for us to work together. At the end of the assessment, I will follow your lead as to whether it feels right to continue meeting (trust your gut!) or whether you might prefer support in connecting with another mental health professional. If we decide to work together, we will establish how often to meet. I usually meet weekly earlier in the therapeutic process, to allow for some momentum to carry the work forward, and less frequently later in the process. This is something that we will decide together and re-evaluate at various points during our work.