Therapy for the complicated pieces of lifeand the parts of you ready to come forward.Specialized psychotherapy for relationships, individuals, identity, trauma, and connection. Sessions available in-person in Walnut Creek and online across California.
Maybe you've spent years doing all the "right" things.
You've learned the tools, worked hard to build a life that works, and become someone others can count on. Yet underneath it all, something may still feel unresolved. Perhaps you're struggling to understand yourself, feeling disconnected in your relationship, or finding that familiar patterns keep showing up within your family.
Sometimes we adapt, keep the peace, or hold everything together for so long that we lose touch with our own needs, desires, and sense of self. Other times, the difficulty lives between us—in the ways we communicate, experience conflict, seek closeness, or try to understand one another. These patterns are often shaped by our histories, families, relationships, and the communities we belong to.
I work with individuals, couples, and families to create space for greater understanding, honesty, and connection. Whether the work is focused on your relationship with yourself, your partnership, or your family, therapy offers an opportunity to slow down, become curious about what is happening beneath the surface, and begin creating new ways of relating.
Together, we'll make space for greater authenticity, deeper connection, and more choice—not only in how you understand yourself, but in how you show up in the relationships that matter most.
Because the people I work with are often carrying so much beneath the surface, I offer a steady, thoughtful space to slow down, make sense of what's been shaping your life, and move toward something more authentic.
My work is relational, thoughtful, and deeply collaborative.
Together, we'll explore the experiences that have shaped you, strengthen your relationships, and create space for healing that feels authentic, sustainable, and uniquely yours.
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I welcome couples and partners of all genders, sexual orientations, and relationship structures, including dating, married, queer, interracial, monogamous, non-monogamous, polyamorous, and chosen family relationships. I specialize in relationship therapy for people struggling with intimacy, betrayal, desire, identity, and disconnection.
Relationships have the capacity to bring us our deepest connection and our deepest pain. Whether you're feeling distant, caught in the same conflict, rebuilding trust, navigating parenthood, recovering from betrayal, or simply longing to feel close again, therapy offers a place to slow down and understand what's happening beneath the surface.
My work integrates psychodynamic, attachment-based, emotionally focused, and Gottman Method approaches to help couples move beyond recurring conflict and toward deeper understanding. Together, we'll explore how your histories, attachment experiences, family dynamics, and protective patterns shape the way you relate to one another. As those patterns become more understandable, it becomes easier to respond with greater honesty, compassion, accountability, and care, creating a relationship that feels more secure, connected, and authentically your own.
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Our relationship with sexuality is deeply personal and influenced by our histories, relationships, culture, and the messages we've received about ourselves. Together, we'll create space to explore intimacy, desire, pleasure, communication, identity, and connection with openness, compassion, and without shame.
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Sometimes life asks more of us than we know how to carry. Whether you're navigating anxiety, grief, identity, relationships, trauma, or simply feeling disconnected from yourself, therapy offers a place to slow down, understand the patterns that have shaped you, and create a life that feels more aligned with who you are.
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The transition into adulthood can feel exciting, confusing, and overwhelming all at once. Whether you're exploring identity, relationships, sexuality, family expectations, school/career decisions, or simply trying to figure out who you are, therapy offers a space to grow into yourself with curiosity and confidence.
I work with teens and young adults navigating anxiety, identity, self-esteem, family relationships, friendships, life transitions, grief, and the pressures of school, work, and social expectations.
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Family Work
Families are shaped by love, history, culture, and generations of lived experience. Sometimes, relationships become strained through conflict, ruptures, changes, or patterns that have been carried across generations. Together, we can explore these dynamics with curiosity and compassion, working toward greater understanding, repair, and connection.
Our work may include navigating family ruptures, improving communication, rebuilding trust, understanding different perspectives, and exploring how generational patterns and trauma can shape the ways we relate to one another. The goal is not simply to resolve conflict, but to create new ways of listening, relating, and moving forward together with greater care.
Working with Children
Children don't always have the words to explain what they're feeling or the experiences they are carrying. Through play, art, storytelling, movement, and relationship, children can express emotions, process experiences, develop coping skills, and strengthen their sense of safety and connection.
I work collaboratively with caregivers to understand each child's unique emotional world and support their development in ways that feel safe, meaningful, and accessible. Together, we can help children build emotional awareness and resilience while strengthening the relationships and environments that help them thrive.
My Specialties.
STEPS TO GET STARTED
01. Schedule a consultation
This is an opportunity to talk about what’s bringing you in, what you're hoping for, and whether it feels like a good fit on both sides.
02. Find the format that works for you
I offer in-person sessions in Walnut Creek and online sessions in California.
03. Begin the work
We’ll move at a pace that feels safe and sustainable. There’s no pressure to “dive in” before you're ready. Come as you are, and I’ll meet you there.
The Way I Work
I care deeply about this work. I'm always learning, always thinking about the whole picture, and always committed to showing up with honesty, curiosity, and presence.
My approach is relational, psychodynamic, psychoanalytic, and somatically informed, which means we don't just explore your thoughts and emotions; we pay attention to what your body has been holding, the relationships that have shaped you, the larger systems you live within, and the protective patterns that once helped you survive.
Together, we'll slow things down, noticing breath, sensation, and the stories beneath the surface, so that what once kept you safe no longer has to define how you move through your life.
What You Can Expect
I'm both attuned and challenging, because I believe meaningful growth requires both support and honesty. I’ll offer a space where you can feel deeply seen while also gently inviting you to look more closely at the patterns, beliefs, and ways of relating that may be keeping you stuck.
My hope is to help you build a deeper, more trusting relationship with yourself—the kind that creates more freedom, authentic connection, and greater capacity for intimacy in every part of your life. I find great meaning in walking alongside people as they navigate the complexity of identity, relationships, sexuality, money, family, belonging, and self-trust.
Our inner lives don't exist in isolation. We are shaped by our families, communities, cultures, and the relationships around us. Together, we can explore both the internal and relational worlds that shape who you are, while creating space for greater choice, connection, and a way of living that feels more fully your own.
Methodologies I Use
I don't believe therapy is one-size-fits-all.
As an integrative therapist, I draw from a variety of approaches depending on who you are, what brings you to therapy, your history, your relationships, and what your nervous system needs in the moment.
My work is informed by psychodynamic therapy, attachment theories, Internal Family Systems (IFS), somatic practices, expressive arts, play therapy, and the Gottman Method.
Sometimes we explore how past experiences continue to shape present relationships. Sometimes we pay attention to recurring patterns that seem to show up across different areas of life. Sometimes we focus on the wisdom of the body when words aren't enough. Sometimes we identify the different parts of you that may be carrying pain, protection, fear, or longing.
With children, I often use play, art, storytelling, movement, and creativity as natural pathways to expression, regulation, and healing.
The approach changes. The relationship remains at the center.
Because therapy should fit the person—not the other way around.
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Together, we'll become curious about the experiences and relationships that have shaped the way you see yourself, connect with others, and move through the world. Often, the patterns that feel confusing or frustrating today begin to make sense when we understand where they first took root.
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I believe we're wired for connection, and that our earliest relationships often shape how we learn to love, trust, protect ourselves, and navigate the world. Together, we'll become curious about the patterns you've developed over time and not judge them. But understand how they've helped you survive and whether they're still serving you today.
Our relationship in therapy becomes part of the work itself. As trust develops, we'll gently notice what unfolds between us, explore it with honesty and curiosity, and create space to experience relationships in new ways. My hope is that those shifts don't stay in the therapy room, but begin to ripple into the way you relate to yourself and the people who matter most.
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We all have different parts of ourselves. The parts that protect, parts that strive, parts that avoid, and parts that carry hurt. Rather than seeing these as flaws, I approach them with curiosity and compassion, understanding that each developed for a reason.
Together, we'll get to know these parts without judgment, honoring the ways they've helped you survive while gently creating space for something new. As your relationship with yourself begins to shift, it often becomes easier to experience greater clarity, self-trust, and more authentic connection with others.
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Our bodies carry so much of our lived experience. Together, we'll slow down and begin noticing the cues your body, your breath, posture, tension, sensations, and nervous system responses have been communicating all along. These signals often tell us as much as words can.
By listening with curiosity rather than judgment, we can better understand your protective patterns, what helps you feel safe and grounded, and how your body has learned to respond to the world. As we deepen that awareness, new possibilities for healing, connection, and choice begin to emerge.
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Sometimes words aren't enough. Creativity, play, music, art, movement, and imagination can help us access emotions, memories, and experiences that are difficult to express through conversation alone.
When it feels helpful, we'll use creative and experiential approaches to deepen self-understanding, strengthen emotional expression, and explore new ways of relating to yourself and others. Whether through art, metaphor, music, or play, these experiences invite curiosity, connection, and healing in ways that often feel both natural and profound.
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As a Gottman Method Level 2 trained therapist, I integrate decades of research on healthy relationships with a relational and psychodynamic approach to therapy. Together, we'll strengthen communication, deepen friendship, navigate conflict more effectively, and rebuild trust while also exploring the deeper patterns that shape how you relate to one another.
Relationships aren't just about learning new skills, but they're also about understanding the histories, attachment patterns, and protective strategies each partner brings into the relationship. My goal is to help you move beyond recurring conflict and create a relationship that feels more secure, emotionally connected, and resilient.
