My Specialties

Relational trauma

  • Relational trauma, also known as interpersonal trauma, refers to the traumatic experiences that occur within the context of significant relationships. Moreover, it relates to the psychological harm that a relationship can cause when it doesn't reliably  offer the safety, stability, love, respect, validation, attention, support, and/or caregiving that a person needs.

    Such trauma happens in families, friendships, marriages, workplaces, schools— think any type of setting where people are in relationship with each other. While relational trauma sometimes results from a single event, such as a major betrayal, most often it results from repeated negative patterns in a relationship.

    • Power imbalances or exploitive relationships. 

    • Emotional abandonment: When a child experiences emotional unavailability or rejection from their caregivers. 

    • Narcissistic parenting

    • Repeated betrayal, gaslighting, or manipulation

    • History of abandonment or infidelity in a partner 

    • Rejection, or a lack of validation

    The long-term impacts:

    Fractured Adult Relationships
    Relational trauma echoes in relationships, resulting in repeated unhealthy patterns or struggles with intimacy and vulnerability. Many times, a person with complex relational trauma repeats childhood experiences in adult relationships because they tend to be attracted to people who are similar to those he or she grew up with. When we are young, we learn how relationships work and we carry this knowledge with us into adulthood. An unconscious compulsion to repeat our unhealed trauma becomes a core feature in our adult relationships.

    Impaired Sense of Self
    Experiencing abandonment in childhood can deeply shape the way a person views themselves and their relationships. It can impact self-worth, influence attachment patterns, and shape beliefs about what kinds of relationships they are deserving of. As a result, individuals may find themselves drawn to partners who mistreat or abandon them, take on a “rescuer” role, or have histories of betrayal—each of which can reinforce painful core beliefs of being unworthy or “not enough.”

    Negative Self Concept
    Over time, individuals may develop persistent negative beliefs about themselves—feelings of shame, guilt, or self-criticism that stem from the trauma. These beliefs can erode self-compassion and make it difficult to form healthy, trusting connections.

    Difficulty forming trust
    Relational trauma shatters our ability to trust, making it challenging to form connections. This mistrust extends to new relationships, hindering growth.

    Self-doubt and Questioning of Feelings
    Much of the individual’s experience in the relationship has felt like an emotional roller coaster. They frequently feel unsafe and often question the validity of their own feelings. In moments of conflict, they second-guess their perceptions and wonder whether their reactions are justified. They tend to idealize potential outcomes and become preoccupied with the cyclical nature of emotional highs and lows in the relationship.

  • Your path is uniquely yours, and my approach reflects just that. Our sessions will be tailored to your individual needs, ensuring that each step of the process feels intentional and aligned with your lived experience.

    Together, we’ll cultivate a deliberate space for reflection and healing. As we gently explore your past, our work will focus on making sense of these experiences and supporting you in gradually easing the burdens they’ve left behind.

    A few components of what our work together might look like include:

    • Challenging and reshaping internal narratives rooted in self-blame, shame, or hopelessness.

    • Coping with the absence of closure or accountability.

    • Integrating traumatic experiences into one’s life story and recognizing the resilience and insight gained.

    • Mourning and accepting aspects of the past that cannot be changed.

    • Developing the capacity to tolerate and regulate intense emotions rather than avoiding or suppressing them.

    • Identifying unhelpful patterns in relationships and learning healthier ways of relating.

    • Establishing and maintaining boundaries, including limiting or ending contact with those who cause harm.

Grief

  • Grief is not just about death—it can emerge from any rupture in our lives: the end of a relationship, unmet dreams, estrangement, or chronic illness. Loss often brings with it an aching loneliness, and yet our culture tends to rush or silence the grieving process. Whether you’re grieving a loved one, a pet, a version of yourself, or a future you imagined, we make space for that pain - without a forced agenda.

  • Grief is not a problem to be solved. It is a process that asks to be witnessed. In our work, I aim to create a space that holds both the weight and the tenderness of your loss.

    A few components of what our work together might look like include:

    • We honor the full spectrum of your grief, including anger, numbness, longing and love.

    • We’ll honor what has been lost, name what cannot be replaced, and explore how grief moves through your relationships, body, and identity.

    • Supporting you in finding meaning, reorienting to your new reality, and allowing your grief to be integrated, not silenced.

    • Supporting you in finding the words for what feels unspeakable, and making space for the grief that doesn’t go away, but evolves over time.

Eating disorders + body image

  • First things first: You don’t have to have an active, diagnosable eating disorder to seek support. There are so many harmful misconceptions about what an eating disorder “looks like,” and as a result, countless people suffer in silence—believing they’re not “sick enough” to deserve support. The truth is, eating disorders don’t have a body type. They’re not always visible, and they’re not defined by how little you eat, how often you exercise, or whether you count calories. Many people live with deeply painful relationships to food and their bodies without ever meeting the narrow criteria our medical system sets. This rigid, weight-focused model not only misses the complexity of these struggles—it often reinforces shame and delays access to care.

    These struggles tend to unfold in silence—masked by smiles, high-functioning exteriors, and sometimes in the praise from others. In a culture that glorifies unrealistic beauty standards, it’s easy to internalize the belief that your worth is tied to how you look. This can create an invisible, exhausting battle. Let me reinforce this here in case it’s not clear: You don’t have to be at your worst to seek help. If your relationship with your body feels heavy, painful, or consuming; you deserve support. Not shame

    • Loving food, but feeling ashamed to admit it.

    • Wishing it was as simple as" “just eating.”

    • Never feeling “enough.”

    • Fearing travel and straying away from routine.

    • Longing to participate in what terrifies you: i.e., gatherings around food.

    • Hiding your body from yourself and from others.

    • Constantly seeking reassurance that it’s okay to eat; wanting to be “normal” but also being terrified of a life without your safety blanket.

    • Being in a constant state of self-loathing and frustration.

  • I don’t see your relationship to your body and to food as something to fight, but as something to listen to—something that once served a purpose. In our work together, we explore these parts with compassion and curiosity, helping you move toward a more integrated, embodied relationship with yourself, free from judgment and full of possibility.

    A few components of what our work together might look like include:

    • Making space for ambivalence
      We don’t rush to “fix” things. Instead, we explore the parts of you that may want change and the parts that feel afraid, protective, or uncertain. This helps build safety and trust, both with me and within yourself.

    • Unpacking cultural and familial messages
      Together, we look at where your beliefs about food, bodies, and worth came from—whether that’s family dynamics, media, trauma, or societal norms—and begin to loosen their grip.

    • Validating all forms of disordered eating
      You don’t need to have a formal diagnosis, fit a certain body type, or engage in specific behaviors to be taken seriously. All relationships with food and the body exist on a spectrum, and yours is worth exploring with care.

    • Supporting embodied self-trust
      Over time, we’ll work toward helping you reclaim your own internal cues and wisdom—what feels good, what feels safe, what nourishes you—so that your body becomes a place you can live in, rather than fight against.

Couples therapy

  • Partners navigating the early stages of their relationship, working through communication challenges, attachment styles, or past relational wounds as they begin to build a foundation together.

    Couples entering a new phase of life—such as moving in together, getting engaged or married, or adjusting to major life transitions like career shifts or relocation.

    Those exploring family planning, parenting, or the emotional and logistical shifts that come with caregiving roles.

    Long-term partners who feel emotionally disconnected or stuck in repeated patterns of conflict, silence, or resentment.

    Couples questioning the future of their relationship, including those contemplating separation or divorce, and wanting to better understand what’s possible—together or apart.

  • I use an Emotion-Focused Therapy (EFT) approach in my work with couples. EFT is based on the understanding that emotional disconnection—not just disagreement—is often at the root of relationship distress. Couples tend to get caught in reactive patterns where vulnerable needs go unspoken, and protective responses escalate (like withdrawing, criticizing, or shutting down).

    Through EFT, I aim to help partners identify the deeper emotions that lie beneath the surface of conflict—often fears of abandonment, unworthiness, or not mattering. As these more vulnerable feelings are named and shared in a safe setting, couples begin to experience one another differently: with more empathy, accessibility, and care. The ultimate goal of EFT is to foster secure emotional bonds where each partner feels seen, supported, and safe.