My Specialities

As a queer person myself, I understand how life-changing it can be to work with a queer therapist. My clients are often seeking a therapist who they trust will validate and be comfortable with their queer identity; whom they know is informed on queer culture and experiences so that they won’t have to spend valuable time and energy providing basic education on what queerness is. I’m passionate about providing therapy for queer clients that not just validates or affirms your lived experience, but celebrates it—whether or not your therapy goals are specifically about your identity.

Many of my clients are coming into their queer identity later in life or exploring the emergence of a new chapter in the evolution of their queerness. We might spend time exploring language to find labels that fit; contending with imposter syndrome; negotiating how your queerness shows up and is/is not honored in your partnership/s; unpacking internalized queerphobia and shame; preparing and processing any coming out experiences (past, present, or future); or exploring your place in your queer communities. Other clients that work with me don’t have goals specifically around their queer identity, but chose to work with me simply for the safety and affirmation having a queer therapist can provide.

My approach is informed by queer theory and I love helping clients explore how they can queer their lives and relationships, beyond their concrete identities.

Sexuality is so much more than simply who we do or do not want to have sex with! Sex therapy can take many forms and can involve the exploration of many themes. Maybe you want to reconnect with your body, your sensual self, or your inner erotic landscape. Maybe you want to explore your sexual dynamics with others. Maybe you want to unpack sexual shame or trauma; to reconnect with your body and autonomy after an experience of sexual violence. Maybe you’re processing a new STI diagnosis or exploring how chronic pain or illness impacts your sexuality. Perhaps you want to find new ways to experience pleasure or intimacy. You might want to make sense of your sexual desires (including kink/BDSM) or lackthereof, and you want a therapist who won’t pathologize or shame how your sexuality shows up.

My approach to sex therapy is non-judgmental, explorative, and curious. I value helping clients unpack the many limiting and harmful narratives and scripts they have internalized around sexuality, orienting instead towards sexuality as a site of liberation, pleasure, and transformation. This includes asexuality, and I am equally passionate about working with ace/aro clients navigating a culture of compulsory sexuality that can often leave them feeling isolated and on the margins.

Within my focus of working with queer clients, I also have a passion for working specifically with trans, nonbinary, and genderqueer folks—including folks who are questioning their gender. If you come to therapy with the hopes of exploring your gender identity, we may spend time unpacking your gender socialization and the gender scripts you’ve internalized; contending with internalized transphobia; discussing ways to balance maintaining your safety in a transphobic world with a desire to express yourself authentically; grieving past experiences around your gender; or processing the impacts of your social and/or medical transition on your relationships and daily life. Many of my trans/nonbinary clients also value using the therapy space to play with their gender identity by exploring different pronouns, names, and gender expressions in a safe container.

I also provide letters of support for gender affirming surgeries and HRT. Please reach out to me if you would like to set up a session to receive a letter.

Many of my clients are neurodivergent, or questioning whether they fit into a divergent neurotype—particularly ADHD, Autism, Highly Sensitive People (HSP) and sensory processing disorder (SPD). I focus on working with folks who are late diagnosed (including self diagnosis), typically due to being high-masking and/or because they inhabit identities that are commonly missed and dismissed when it comes to neurodivergence.

In sessions, we’ll work to release narratives of being “too much”, “too needy”, or “too sensitive”; we’ll explore how to balance any desire to unmask with the necessity of maintaining safety; we’ll get a better sense of who you are behind the masks you’ve learned to wear. We’ll make space to grieve your younger selves that didn’t get the validation or care they needed—and grieve the pain of living in a neuronormative world that wasn’t built for you. Maybe we’ll dive into your special interests, practice reclaiming stims (which are always welcome in sessions!), and explore support needs or accommodations and how to advocate for them. We’ll build insight into your sensory profile and explore ways to cope with burn out. We’ll explore internalized ableism and work to build more compassion for and celebration of the unique way your bodymind works.

Alternatively, maybe you’ve already done this work, and simply need a therapist who can honor, celebrate, and understand your neurodivergent experience. I welcome you as well!

Because I take a neurodivergent-affirming, non-pathologizing approach, I do not “treat” Autism or ADHD. You do not need fixing. We will instead focus on re/claiming your strengths, building resiliency, and thriving as best as possible in a neuronormative world.

I work with many individual and relational clients who are consensually non-monogamous (CNM), including poly folks, relationship anarchists, or those in open relationships. I often work with folks who are considering embarking into CNM and are seeking a space to do any therapeutic groundwork to make this change. We often spend sessions exploring what of the many possible relationship structures works best for you; building skills and tools for navigating roadblocks; getting clear on your boundaries, hopes, and fears; creating relationship agreements, navigating your attachment profile; and strengthening communication skills in the unique ways that CNM demands. We live in a culture that is mononormative—meaning that monogamy is assumed, and is considered the only normal and acceptable way of being in relationship—so there is always work to do on unpacking the ways we have internalized compulsory and/or toxic forms of monogamy.

As with my other specialities, I also welcome clients who are CNM and aren’t interested in specifically exploring this aspect of their lives, but want to be able to talk about their relationships and identity without being pathologized or met with judgment by their therapist. I do not think that consensual non monogamy OR monogamy are superior relationship orientations, and I also love working with clients who are monogamous, but who want to move away from compulsive monogamy and orient towards intentional monogamy on their own, creative terms.

All of us have experienced trauma. Many of us experience trauma on an ongoing basis due to our identities and the oppressive state of our world. For this reason, I aim to approach all therapy sessions with a trauma-informed approach, but therapy can also be a great space to directly work through traumatic experiences to move towards more stability, regulation, and healing.

I approach trauma therapy mainly with EMDR therapy and polyvagal theory-based nervous system regulation techniques. You can expect that our trauma-focused work will involve a slow, safe, and intentional approach. We’ll start by identifying how the trauma you’ve experienced is impacting your life—perhaps you’re noticing somatic symptoms, frequently feeling activated or triggered in your daily life, feeling distanced from yourself and your life, or finding that your coping mechanisms are harming more than they are helping. We’ll hold space for any trauma stories you want to share; release harmful narratives that linger in the wake of trauma; get to know your nervous system and its unique needs; gently reconnect with your body; build greater compassion for yourself and your experiences; and cultivate a deeper sense of safety in yourself, your relationships, and your world.

In addition to individual therapy, I work with queer couples. People start couples therapy for all sorts of reasons, and contrary to common misconceptions, starting couples therapy isn’t just for failing relationships! In reality, being in loving, thriving partnership takes much intentional work and requires honing and refining a variety of skills.

The couples I work with are often looking for support with things like navigating transitions, increasing intimacy, enriching their sex lives, improving communication, negotiating a change in or challenges with their relationship structure, confronting the ways their differing neurotypes impact the relationship, and showing up more authentically in their partnerships.

I approach couples therapy from an attachment framework and the lens of queer theory, and utilize an EFT framework. As in my individual work, my approach to couples therapy is 2SLGBTQIA+ centered, sex positive, non-monogamy informed, and kink affirming. Couples of any structure and orientation are warmly welcomed.