My philosophy of treatment.

My approach to therapy is humanistic and relational. I believe that pain and suffering are inevitable aspects of the human experience, but they do not have to be a permanent state of affairs. With the help of others, healing and growth are always possible.

Ultimately, I view the therapeutic relationship as a collaborative one in which you and I come together to make better sense of your situation. It is often during our moments of greatest suffering that we turn to others for help. While it can be tempting in these moments to look to experts for quick fixes, I ultimately believe that each one of us is the expert when it comes to our own experience. Nevertheless, we all lose our way from time to time. The events of our lives can often become so confusing and overwhelming that the path forward in life no longer seems clear; we can become stuck in old patterns of thinking and behavior that are no longer useful; we can become lost and disconnected from others, ourselves, and our own bodies.

In these moments, I believe that a meaningful connection with another human being is one of the few things that can help us to gain a new perspective, make sense of our situation, and illuminate the path forward. Most of the troubles that bring us to therapy have developed within the context of our past and existing relationships (e.g., our relationships with caregivers, siblings, friends, or significant others), and I believe it is only through a new relationship – a safe, caring, therapeutic relationship – that we can learn to understand, unpack, and reorganize our experience. In doing so, we can begin to see our old troubles in a new light.

As a therapist, I will provide a safe, judgment-free environment in which you can engage in this process of self-exploration. I will be a kind, curious and engaged partner in dialogue. Hopefully, through this dialogue, you and I can both come to a greater understanding of who you are, what you want, and what you need. I genuinely love my work and am endlessly fascinated and humbled by the myriad ways that people find to navigate and engage with their worlds. I have also witnessed firsthand the power of psychotherapy to make a difference in people’s lives, including my own, and I will bring this enthusiasm and experience to my work with you.

Areas of Special Interest

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Panic attacks

• Grief and Loss

• Trauma

• Life and Career Transitions

• Existential and Spiritual Concerns

Modalities and Theories of Practice

My formal training is in the Existential-Phenomenological school of psychological thought. This is a humanistic approach to therapy inspired by the philosophical tradition that includes thinkers such as Kierkegaard, Nietzsche, Heidegger, Sartre, De Beauvoir, and Merleau-Ponty. It challenges the modern tendency to view human psychology through certain reductionistic, technological lenses; it seeks to develop an in-depth, embodied understanding of human experience; and it emphasizes the importance of choice, responsibility, and meaning-making in our lives.

In practice, I have an integrative approach, and incorporate ideas from other psychological modalities, including but not limited to:

• Existential-Humanistic Therapy

• Relational Psychotherapy

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Mindfulness and Meditation

• Attachment theory

I believe that therapy is a process through which we learn to better articulate our felt experience as human beings. It is through this process of articulation that we hope to gain a deeper, more nuanced understanding of our own experience and the experience of others. As one who guides you in this process, I believe it is important for the therapist to be a perennial student of human experience. The natural sciences have provided us with invaluable information about the brain, the body, and the natural world, and I believe it is incumbent upon the therapist to be as engaged as possible with the natural sciences. Accordingly, I strive to ground my practice in the best available scientific evidence. At the same time, I am aware that much of human experience is still deeply mysterious and yet to be understood by the sciences. Indeed, it may be the case that the totality of human experience simply isn’t reducible to scientific knowledge. As such, I believe it is important for the psychotherapist to engage with a variety of traditions – not only with the hard sciences and conventional psychological theory, but also with philosophy, religion, art, music, film, and literature as well. I approach all sources of knowledge with a deep curiosity and a healthy skepticism, and believe they all can serve as rich sources of meaning as we seek to find our way in the world.

Licensure

• Washington State Mental Health Counselor License # LH61245491