Who do you work with?

I work with adults in individual therapy and couples therapy. I strive to create a safe and inclusive space in my practice that is actively affirming of diverse and questioning identities.

Who do you NOT work with?

While I support clients with relational and emotional intimacy, I do not provide sex therapy or treatment for sexual dysfunction. If you are seeking a certified sex therapist, I recommend searching through the directory of the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT).

Who is your ideal client?

I work best with motivated clients who value growth, learning, and self-development. Clients often seek me out when they find that “talk therapy is not enough” for them, or did not allow them to go as deep as they were hoping for.

If you are looking for a therapist who can support and engage you with identifying and working through your growth edges, and who can also be a human in the room with you, you have come to the right place.

How does a somatic-relational approach to individual therapy or couples therapy help?

There is a common understanding that the developing human, even as an adult, has the capacity to grow and change. This idea is rooted in the premise of neuroplasticity, or the idea that the brain has capacity to reorganize itself and develop new neural pathways. A somatic-relational approach to therapy is one method that can support these changes.

Any therapy relationship starts with building a foundation of trust. I need time to understand how you relate to yourself, your somatic experience, and your attachment history. I also need to experience how you show up in the therapy with me, so I can meet you where you are. As I get to know you, or your relationship (if you are a couple), I am able to offer attuned somatic-based and attachment-informed interventions to support you with making sense of what you are feeling, perceiving, or experiencing.

With couples and family dyads, I use research-based and attachment-centered approaches Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) and Psychobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT) to support dyadic relationships with cultivating the skills for secure functioning. Secure functioning is the idea that a relationship is based on mutuality, fairness, and respect. In a secure functioning two-person system, such as a couple, partners are able to manage conflict, generate quick and effective emotional repairs, and strengthen their connection. As your couples therapist, your relationship is my client. I work hard to be a safe-enough attachment figure that both you and your partner can rely on for support, or look to as a model for secure functioning.

With individuals, I primarily use a somatic-emotional exercise that is rooted in Formative Psychology, a somatic modality that was developed by Stanley Keleman in Berkeley, California. This somatic-emotional exercise, also called Voluntary Muscular Effort or VME, can be deeply supportive and effective with cultivating deeper self-knowing, self-compassion, and self-regulation. My training and work with couples greatly influences how I show up as an individual therapist. I strive to be a safe-enough attachment figure to support you with developing yourself in the ways that are meaningful to you, in our therapy.

Do you take insurance? Why not?

No; I do not work directly with insurance companies and am considered an out-of-network (OON) provider.

However, I can offer you a super bill, which many PPO plans accept from OON providers such as myself.

The super bill is an itemized receipt that will help to facilitate the process of direct reimbursement from your insurance company, to cover some of the costs of out-of-pocket therapy expenses. You will need to reach out to your insurance company directly to find out 1) if they accept super bills, 2) what your deductible is before they start reimbursing you, and 3) what steps you need to take to submit your super bill and receive reimbursement directly from your insurance.

If you qualify, I recommend looking into CoveredCalifornia for credits that can help one afford monthly premiums for insurance.

How do you model accessibility without taking insurance?

I strongly feel that health insurance companies could be doing better by all of us. As a private practice psychotherapist, I choose what systems to be a part of and which ones to avoid.

Due to my own lived experience growing up poor and working class, designing a business that models accessibility is important to me. I offer a limited sliding scale to those who otherwise would not be able to afford therapy with me.

Please reach out to me if you are interested in working together, but cannot afford my full fee, and I can let you know if I have room available in my practice. It is imperative that you are honest with me about what you can afford, so as to not take up a space in my practice that could otherwise go to someone who cannot afford my services.

Do you have a waiting list?

No. If you reach out to me and my practice is full, please keep me in mind for the future.

I am also happy to assist you with finding an adequate referral, if my practice is full at the time you reach out to me.

Do you work in person or over telehealth?

Both.

My office is based in Kentfield, Marin County in the SF Bay Area.

For in person sessions, I uphold strong policies around sickness and Covid, and ask that if you are exhibiting any cold or flu-like symptoms, to please opt for a telehealth session or cancel/reschedule with me. I frequently support individuals with autoimmune complications and it is important that my space is accessible to everyone.

I use a HIPAA-compliant service called Doxy for my telehealth sessions.