Therapy Services.....
I am confident and knowledgeable in my work with a variety of issues including
relationship with food and body, eating disorder recovery, trauma, life transitions, relationship issues,
depression, anxiety, family of origin issues, and body image struggles.
Overall, I come from an integrative place. This means I take all the wisdom, training and tools that I have,
think about what a client needs, and then share what would be useful to them.
From this place, I can truly offer people support that is tailored for them.
I find that people feel much more seen, more heard, and far safer working from this place
than from a one of me putting on them what I think they need.
In therapy with my clients, I bring a deep amount of respect, curiosity and compassion to every human I have the honor to meet.
Below, you can read in more detail how I work specifically with eating disorders
as well as how I use Internal Family Systems in session with clients.
If you are curious how I work with a particular issue you are struggling with, go to my contact page
for a free 15 minute consultation to have your questions answered and get a feel for me!
Eating disorders
My professional work in eating disorder recovery began 4 years ago, with my work at The Lotus Collaborative, an Eating Disorder Recovery Center here in Santa Cruz, CA. The knowledge and training I gained leaves me feeling confident and comfortable in exploring all the complexities that exist within eating disorders, disordered eating and recovery. I approach the recovery path from three lenses: soul, skills and social justice.
In order for a person to recover from an eating disorder, the whole person needs to be seen and supported.
The soul lens means seeing a person, not an eating disorder; seeing a person's heart, soul, mind, body and spirit.
I focus on connecting with a person and supporting them to be curious about themselves and the parts of them that are their eating disorder. Building a relationship of curiosity between self and these parts opens up a path toward recovery and healing.
An eating disorder lies heavily in a variety of behaviors that range from person to person. The skills lens means knowing about all the behaviors, paying attention to them, and finding the tools to navigate toward recovery. Eating disorder behaviors are a humans best attempt to cope with life. Finding a new set of coping skills that are more sustainable leaves a person feeling free, something that an eating disorder can't provide.
When it comes to social justice, I feel called to make sure that clients I sit with are able to see how diet culture, media, healthcare systems, and more create and perpetuate weight stigma and oppression. Without this knowledge, people tend toward blaming and shaming themselves for not being thin enough, not “healthy” enough, just plain not good enough. This takes a person further away from their voice, their truth and their power. I strive to continue my education on privilege and oppressive systems in order to create safer spaces and communities for all human beings.
Internal Family Systems
Internal Family Systems, IFS, is a way to practice therapy. IFS is incredibly intuitive, makes sense, and truly offers a way to know yourself from the inside out. From there you can transform your life - your relationships, your work, your identity, your behaviors - to match the hopes and dreams you have always longed and desired for. When I use IFS in my therapy practice, clients tell me they feel more connected to themselves, have new found hope for life, and leave feeling deeply impacted by this experience.
I often describe it to people by saying, "Have you ever had the experience where one part of you thinks this and another part of you thinks that?" Well, if you have, this is the essence of IFS work. Getting to know these different parts, and using curiosity to connect with them paves the way to healing the parts of us that are deeply wounded and scared. Through this deep healing, our external life transforms because now we are no longer scared and wounded in the same ways, and we get to show up in our lives as our innate, powerful self.
IFS is an evidence based practice, which means it has been tried and tested in research and passed with flying colors! IFS is a wonderful means to explore any and all issues. I, in particular, am experienced at working with clients who are dealing with depression, anxiety, life transition, motherhood, eating disorder, relationship issues, and trauma.
If you are curious and would like to learn more about IFS, reference the Center for Self Leadership.