Specialties

Trauma

Unresolved trauma can be conceptualized as deriving from overwhelming experiences that cannot be integrated.

            -Pat Ogden

Traumas come in all shapes and sizes. They are experiences that hijack a person’s life. Trauma may have been one big shattering event like surviving a mass shooting, being raped, or being betrayed. It also could be a trauma that unfolds over weeks, months, and years. Trauma causes a wide array of reactions, such as restless sleep, debilitating anxiety, explosive anger, pervasive numbness, states of dissociation, or deep depression. Trauma lives in our minds, emotions, and our bodies. I employ a range of tools and theories such as internal family systems, sensorimotor psychotherapy, and trauma-focused CBT. I will work to help you find safety and hope, by resetting your nervous system, making meaning of your experiences, and restoring relationships.

 The Sacred

Was there a religious or spiritual background to your childhood however you define that now?

            -Krista Tippet

For most, they would answer yes. Religion and spirituality or “the Sacred” has shaped most people’s lives in both healing and painful ways. Many therapists do not know what to do with the Sacred and at most may just say they are “accepting of your story and will be non-judgmental.” However, the Sacred is not something that should be avoided in therapy or just be seen as neutral. There should be space for it to be part of the therapy work because so often it is inextricably tangled with our psychological health and how people make meaning of their lives. Having a therapist who is specifically trained in how to integrate or even just understand your Sacred experiences beyond the surface level can lead to deeper and more integrated growth and healing.

Christian Clients - Working with Christians or people who were brought up in the church is a more specific specialty of mine. I have had the privilege of receiving training from three Christian institutions on the integration of psychology and Christianity, those being Fuller Seminary, Azusa Pacific University, and Biola University. With my Christian clients, I help them explore how Christianity has shaped them as well as how to draw on the best aspects and qualities of their faith to cultivate healing and wholeness.

Men’s Issues

Our culture has lacked resources for men who wish to pursue emotional and mental wellness. Men are often limited to two emotion states, happy or angry. Men have been told that vulnerability is a weakness, leaving us to feel isolated, disconnected, and too embarrassed to ask for help. So whether you are aware of stress about providing for your family, shame for being “too emotional,” confusion about what to do with sexual feelings, being overwhelmed by anger, or challenges about how to live by your values with integrity, therapy can help. As a therapist I will meet you where you are at, honoring your strengths, paying attention to your losses and longing, and ultimately helping you become stronger and more resilient.

Emerging Adults

Emerging adulthood, or the years between the ages of 18 and 30, is a confusing and exciting stage of life. It often brings with it significant opportunities and freedom to connect with people with similar values, discover what you want to do with your life, solidify your values, and so much more. However, having so many questions—Who am I? What do I believe? Who are my people? What do I want in a partner? What career am I passionate about?—can be unsettling and confusing. Additionally, emerging adulthood is often the first time you are away from your family system, creating space for childhood pain to emerge. Therapy can provide a space for sorting through these questions as we shape and discover who you are becoming.

Complex Identity Formation

Who am I? What do I want? Why do I do what I do? How do my past experiences affect my present? How do my family’s choices affect my present? What am I passionate about? How do I make sense of my culture/race/ethnicity in relation to how people interact with me and how I see myself? How do I make sense of being biracial, multiracial, or hapa? How can I love my religious faith but also be so wounded by it? How do I integrate my sexual orientation with my religion or culture? How does being a 1.5 generation American affect how I live?

These questions are messy and scary. They don’t come with easy packaged answers.

It’s often hard to find people who are willing to sit in those in-between spaces of unanswered questions. Therapy can be that space for wrestling with the hard questions. In that space, you will begin to discover, re-adopt, and become more comfortable in your skin. You will be able to honor all parts of your story and live a more congruent and vibrant life.