About Therapy
Providing online therapy to anyone in California and in-person in Sonoma County…
Feeling like your world turned upside down…
Even though you feel wobbly and your world may feel chaotic, rest assured, I have been told I can hold space in the most compassionate and caring way needed.
This is a vulnerable time, and I witness you showing up and acknowledging that your world feels upside down.
In mid-life, we find ourselves literally in the middle of life itself. We go through transitions such as divorce, separation, grief and loss, caregiver burnout, empty nest, and losing ourselves in our jobs or children’s lives. As a result, we may feel the chaos internally through becoming isolated, lonely, depressed, anxious, or perhaps we have a lack of motivation to get out of bed.
You may ask yourself, “How did I get here?”
You have been working hard for so many years, keeping all the balls in the air. Now here in mid-life, where the balls are getting harder to juggle, we find ourselves getting to a place of burnout.
Perhaps you are emotionally drained and may look at yourself in the mirror and ask, “How did I get here? It wasn’t supposed to be like this.”
The darkness leads to the light…
When we are alone in the dark in an unfamiliar place, finding the light on our own is hard.
A guide like me can help you navigate the darkness, sharing strategies to take this journey to the light gracefully.
As your guide, you won’t be alone.
Here’s what happens when you take that first step…
You call me, and we schedule a consultation. As soon as you decide to book your first appointment with me, there is relief in your body that you have an upcoming session where we start working together.
You begin to come to sessions and share your stressors and burdens. You share that you are using the same coping patterns you’ve used for years and recognize that the strategies aren’t working. You are ready to try new approaches to break these old patterns and step into the work.
As you share, you realize I’m there to witness your story – to hold a space for you to lay it all down without censorship or judgment. You feel grateful that you have somewhere to drop off your heavy load. Perhaps I’m the first person who heard this story.
Our time together is a space for just you. We meet as often as appropriate for you. Session after session, we meet, talk, strategize, analyze, and create new patterns, habits, and coping strategies… and you begin to incorporate these strategies into the rollercoaster of life.
You start to come to sessions with more clarity on your future self. Your practices become habits – you don’t even have to think about “doing the work” because it just comes naturally. It becomes your new way of being in the world.
Others around you are glad you are getting support… because you deserve it.
You’ll get more than professional expertise when you sit with me.
You’ll experience the softness of a caring guide, taking you on your journey through the healing process.
When you sit with me, you have over 17 years of experience in mental health, substance abuse, disabilities, and healthcare.
You will sit with someone who provides therapy, is an advocate, and has a healthy resource list to assist you in your journey forward.
I love my marriage and family therapist colleagues. However, they differ from me because they usually don’t look at the person in the environment. They’re not considering the external stressors that also occur in our lives.
I am not only a therapist but your one-stop shop for finding resources for you and your family. I also differ from most therapists because I take a holistic approach to the work, bringing together Eastern and Western ways of healing. My most beneficial strategies are mindfulness, meditation, journaling, and expressive art. Working week after week with me feels like coming home to yourself again – a coming back to how you are.
About Me
Here’s a story of how I learned to find balance in my life…
I was caught between my career and my family…
I traveled three hours a day between home and work. So, I left home early and left work late. I had just enough time at home to sleep, shower, and start a new day.
I lived at work, getting pulled into commitment after commitment. And somehow, I felt good about it.
But I didn’t feel good about the commitments I was missing at home. Eventually, I “hit bottom.” I had to do something.
I was at yoga one evening after work…
And asked my mentor and yoga instructor for advice on taking a self-retreat. She gave me a few ideas, eventually leading me to a glamping tent on the coast of Northern California – a place where I could get a massage, take a few walks on the beach… you know… dive into all the “things I really needed.”
But on the way there, it began to rain. I didn’t have proper shoes, so I stopped for rain boots (I had wanted adult-sized rain boots since I was a child!). But otherwise, I was ready for the trip. The rain continued all night, but I made it through. The next morning, I put on my boots and packed my backpack with a water bottle, camera, and snacks.
I headed down the trail toward the beach.
It was muddy, and I remember being overly preoccupied with getting my new boots dirty. I carried on like this for 30 minutes, continuing to look down, watching my steps, and holding my breath.
After too many close calls stepping in the mud, I looked up. I saw the horizon, and I knew the ocean was ahead… If I continued through the mud.
I smiled and thought, “Here I am, looking down at the mud, watching my every step and not taking in the whole picture.”
At that moment, I decided just to walk in the mud…
… head held up, taking in the present moment. I did this until I reached the ocean. I stayed there for a while when I arrived, watching the waves beat against the shore.
As I sat there, taking it all in, I realized I had just learned an important lesson. I could have gotten there by meticulously examining my every move, ensuring I didn’t take a “wrong step.” Or, I could have done what I did: enjoy the journey, even though it was muddy.
I was grateful for this lesson, which changed my life. The joy of the journey and not “arriving unscathed” matters in this life!
Some of my professional experience…
I have 17 years of experience working for non-profits, hospitals, and educational institutions. I have been a creative, dedicated clinical leader in these organizations. As I’ve hit middle age, I’ve decided it was time to live the dream I always had, having my own business.
My 10-year-old self dreamed of becoming a therapist, and I live that dream here. There have been many hurdles along the way. But now I have a practice where I get to work with wonderful people like yourself and adjust my business so that I can witness my kids in their after-school activities and take care of my own self-care needs.
We can’t do it alone, and I recharge via my healers in yoga, acupuncture, massage, therapy, arts and crafts, intuitive writing, and connection amongst friends and colleagues.
When I’m not working as a therapist…..
I am a mom of two wonderful kids and a wife to an amazing husband I met 25 years ago. Like many working parents, I juggle the daily pick-ups and drop-offs to and from school, track, drama, homework help, and dinner preparation – doing it all again Monday through Friday. Adulting!
On the weekends, you’ll find my family and me working to beautify our yard, taking trips to Dillon Beach (California), or taking our two pups out for walks in our neighborhood. We love to travel and camp and look forward to each August when we adventure to a new destination. At this point, we’ve stayed within the United States, but we hope that we’ll go abroad and show the kids how big the world is in the coming years.
During my precious alone time, I love yoga, meditation, intuitive writing, women’s circles, sitting by the fire with my cup of tea, taking mindful walks in my neighborhood, and making space to be creative.
Imagine this…
You’re sitting on a soft pillowy couch with orange and blue throw pillows, and I am sitting across from you.
We each have a warm cup of tea. The space is inviting. We begin talking about how you are doing.
You feel at ease and relaxed because you have been noticing how good you have been feeling between sessions and came to tell me about your week’s celebrations.
We’ve taken the last few sessions to review your progress in therapy, and we’ve decided that you have met your goals and that we would see one another again if/when needed. You told me you are grateful you put yourself first and came to therapy.
You feel fulfilled and alive again. I am grateful that we’ve met and shared this sentiment with you.
Call me today at (925) 281-3520. Let’s get started on YOUR healing journey.
I look forward to meeting you!