About Me
I grew up in Southern California exposed to a media-driven culture and its imposing thin ideal, surrounded by a culture of diet mentality. During my early adolescent years, I succumbed to the pressures of my environment and developed an eating disorder that took on many forms. This resulted in years of battling food and my body. I thought food was the enemy and my body was the problem. I didn't understand that my struggles went much deeper.
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As I've embarked on a journey toward healing and growth, I've learned how to access self-acceptance and self-compassion while increasing awareness and insight around maladaptive beliefs and patterns of behavior that have contributed to pain and suffering. With enough curiosity, openness, and exploration, I've come to appreciate the messages from my body as a source of wisdom that houses my emotions, fears and burdens. I've learned to slow down enough to pay attention and listen to what my body is trying to communicate to me, realizing that the map of life is within and my emotions serve as the guide posts. Answers for which I had been searching for have been with me all along. What a concept!
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I completed a Dual Master’s degree program in Nutrition and Clinical Health Psychology from Bastyr University in 2011 and I'm licensed through the Washington Department of Health as a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (Lic#LH60500475) Certified Nutritionist (Lic#NU60243970). I'm also licensed with the Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies as a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC.0019755). I've been working with adult individuals since 2009.
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The foundation of my therapeutic approach is grounded in Internal Family Systems (IFS), a non-pathologizing evidenced-based approach to therapy that sees every human being as a system of inner parts: protective as well as wounded; and everyone having the capacity to heal through access to Self and repair of inner chasms. Additionally, my approach is informed by other forms of therapy I’m trained in, such as Hakomi Therapy and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR). With my support and guidance, you will gradually get to know yourself on a deeper level and build and repair relationships within your inner system. This will include exploration of what’s happening cognitively as well as emotionally. Furthermore, my approach also emphasizes the therapeutic relationship and the fact that the therapeutic relationship tends to be a microcosm of relational patterns in your life. Essentially, therapy is like a laboratory to experiment and play around with new ways of being. My goal is to create an environment of safety and trust in order to foster inner growth and healing. The goal of treatment is to support a deeper self-understanding of your system and facilitate repair of the chasms that have been created inside of you in order to increase internal harmony and balance.
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I would be honored to join you in the conversation on your path toward healing.