What made you decide to become a counselor?
The world always seemed like such a big difficult place to me. I knew from the time that I was little that I wanted to do something to at least make the world a little softer and brighter. I tried volunteering, mentoring, and making documentaries, but nothing seemed quite right. Working with people had always been my passion and I decided to go back to school to become a therapist because I always believed in the quote, “Helping one person might not change the world, but it could change the world for one person.”
If you could teach the world one skill or technique to improve their lives, what would it be?
Emotion regulation. I think there are a lot of things we miss out on growing up, especially when we grow up in homes that aren’t ideal. But one vital skill that most people never learn is how to manage emotions. The average person walking down the street doesn’t know what to do if they feel panic, rage, or loneliness. When you start to learn that emotions are just signals from your body and how to interpret them, then you can understand your emotions better. Once you understand your emotions, you can begin to cope with them effectively, and honestly that can feel like a superpower.
Have you personally been in counseling and if so, what did you learn about yourself?
Yes, my passion for mental health came from being a consumer of therapy for most of my life. I had to go through my own journey inside and outside the therapy office in order to feel capable and ready to offer mental health services as a provider.
If you could recommend one book to all your clients, what would it be?
The Mountain Is You: Transforming Self-Sabotage into Self-Mastery by Brianna Wiest. This book describes the way I view therapy in such a universal and accessible way; it’s truly beautiful.
A brief description: For centuries, the mountain has been used as a metaphor for the big challenges we face, especially ones that seem impossible to overcome. To scale our mountains, we actually have to do the deep internal work of excavating trauma, building resilience, and adjusting how we show up for the climb. In the end, it is not the mountain we master, but ourselves.
Who is your ideal client?
I love working with clients who are ready to do the work. A lot of times this is high insight, highly sensitive, or emotionally intelligent clients who lack the ability to integrate their insights. I can help with that.
But I really also love clients that are difficult, different from me, bring the mess, and keep me guessing. I definitely offer a nonjudgmental but challenging space for all types of people. Sometimes therapy can be difficult and uncomfortable. I’ll always hang in there with you if you are ready. Know that sometimes, with your consent, I might offer you a perspective or a solution that could be difficult to hear. But I will always be kind, and I won’t push you if you aren’t ready.
What inspires you to help others?
In my own lived experience I am a survivor of complex trauma, disordered eating, and depression. It took me a long time to figure out my own path to healing and happiness.
I believe what I learned on my personal journey, what I learned in school, and what I have learned in my clinical training and experience gives me a unique perspective to understand and help any client.
How do you personally practice self-care?
I say “no” If I don’t want to do something, I’m honest. I always show up for myself. I celebrate my identity and enjoy the little things. I also make sure to unplug and take time away from social media to be in the world doing things that I love.
How do you relate to Mindfulness? How do you incorporate it in your sessions?
To me, mindfulness is about present moment awareness with curiosity and without judgment. The value of this is learning to get out of our heads and live in the moment. This can be difficult for some clients because you have to build your tolerance of discomfort. But beyond our own discomfort is freedom and that’s where things really get interesting.
