When I began my own recovery journey in 2008, I had no idea that the gift of this process would be a continuous discovery of my own identity – of who I really am outside of any behavior, mask, or strategy. This ongoing exploration continues to facilitate a growing embodiment of what we are ALL actually created for – safety and connection.

My personal story has greatly impacted how I want to show up with my clients. I do not believe behaviors and labels fully explain what a person is experiencing. Gabor Mate says that “knowing oneself comes from attending with compassionate curiosity to what is happening within.”

I believe that approaching everyone with curiosity and kindness can be the first steps toward safety and connection creating an invitation to engage in the harder parts of our stories. This is the foundation of a therapeutic relationship.

I approach all of my clients through the lens of trauma and attachment understanding that our often “labeled” responses to human suffering are attempts to ease pain. They are not flaws, weaknesses, or indictments of our character.

The amazing thing is that our pain often illuminates our pathway to wholeness, and it is a privilege to bear witness to another’s journey. “Trauma is not what happens to us, but what we hold inside in the absence of an empathetic witness.” – Peter A. Levine.