Questions
Is Therapy Confidential?
Yes, therapy is confidential. What you share with me in sessions is protected by both legal and ethical standards. If you ever want me to coordinate care with another provider, I’ll ask for your written permission first and talk with you about what specific information you’re comfortable sharing.
That said, there are a few important exceptions to confidentiality. I may be required to break confidentiality if:
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I believe you are at immediate risk of harming yourself or someone else
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I learn about abuse or neglect involving a child, elder, or dependent adult
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I receive a court order or subpoena requiring me to release your records
If any of these situations arise, I will do my best to involve you in the process and clearly explain what steps I’m taking and why.
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What Is Therapy?
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Therapy is a collaborative process where you build a supportive, trusting relationship with a trained professional to work toward goals that matter to you. People come to therapy for many reasons, including:
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Improving mood and emotional well-being
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Reducing anxiety or managing stress
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Changing unhelpful behaviors or habits
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Processing difficult thoughts or past experiences
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Exploring identity, gender, or sexuality in a safe and affirming space
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Navigating grief, loss, or major life transitions
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Addressing challenges in relationships, work, school or family dynamics
Therapy should offer a nonjudgmental environment to reflect, grow, and heal. Research consistently shows that therapy can lead to meaningful, lasting changes that enhance your quality of life.
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Why Consider Therapy?
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Often, we can lean on friends, family, partners, or spiritual guides for support during difficult times. These connections are valuable and can be deeply healing. But sometimes, the challenges we face are overwhelming, persistent, or complex—and they may require more than what our usual support systems can offer. By coming to deeply know who we are, we can unlearn former versions of ourselves. Understanding by itself is not always enough to manage change. We need to experience ourselves and our relationships differently. This often starts in therapy.
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How long does therapy last?
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Individual sessions last 50 min. Occasionally for various reasons (comfort, financial) people may prefer anywhere from 30 min - 75 min. I am happy to work out what seems best.
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​Psychotherapy is a highly collaborative process that can be either brief therapy or longer depth therapy. Brief therapy is helpful for people with limited time and/or resources. It can be more directly problem-solving or skills-based for immediate, acute experiences. Depth therapy offers a space for presence and time to go inward that is profound - to explore what has been outside of your awareness. By understanding unconscious motivations, it becomes possible to approach life with greater clarity and intentional choice.​
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What is your approach to therapy?
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A trusting and collaborative relationship is essential to great therapy. My approach is nonjudgmental, direct, and warm.
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I utilize:
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strong critical thinking skills
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passion for research/learning
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sharp wit and sense of humor
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ability to interweave a variety of modalities
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Organized psychology has a history of exclusivity, privilege and discrimination. I have worked with a lot of folks who have past experiences of overt and unconscious discrimination within Western medicine.
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My practice affirms LGBTQIA+ folks, BIPOC clients, and those in kink, polyamorous, or non-monogamous communities
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I listen for implicit biases that can arise in conversation with the intention to maintain a therapeutic practice that is discerning and safe.
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What modalities do you use?
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My practice is grounded in the psychodynamic tradition using a somatic, trauma-informed lens. I then blend in other approaches including:
Compassionate Inquiry® (mindfulness and body-centered approach with parts work)
Transpersonal and depth (Jungian)​
ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy)
​​Here is a a brief reflective video on psychodynamic therapy and evidenced based practice as well as the role of relationship and critical thinking in the psychodynamic approach. ​
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Do you provide emergency services?
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Although I provide counseling to my clients through scheduled appointments, my practice is not set up in a way to provide emergency services. Calls to my number are monitored frequently, and I try and respond in a timely manner, but it might not be a quick enough response for an urgent matter. In an urgent situation, I will schedule an appointment as soon as I can.
In case of emergency, please call 911.
Additional emergency services:
National Suicide Prevention Lifeline -- Phone: 1-800-273-TALK (1-800-273-8255)
Berkeley specialized care unit (no police involvement) (510) 948-0075
Boulder County crisis services with other Colorado no police numbers
BIPOC Blackline (they even have an app!)
National Sexual Assault Hotline: 1-800-656-4673
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Video phone crisis line for deaf, hard of hearing, late deafened, and blind individuals: Call 321-800-3323 OR text “HAND” to 839-863
The OpenCounseling website offers an extensive list of U.S.-based, free, telephone hotlines at https://www.opencounseling.com/hotlines?utm_source=OpenCounseling+Therapists&utm_campaign=91dc698f80-EMAIL_CAMPAIGN_2017_08_19&utm_medium=email&utm_term=0_afcdba0c6a-91dc698f80-55957505.
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Do you take Insurance?
I am an in-network provider for Berkeley SHIP insurance.
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