About

My main way of working, IFS, is more than just a therapy approach. Although it was first developed by a therapist, IFS has become for many a way of life, a spiritual practice, and a way of compassionately seeing the world and other people. I imagine this can sound very weird. However, there is a lot of flexibility in how people use the ideas of IFS in their lives and in therapy, and there is a strong emphasis on listening to your own inner wisdom to figure out where and how to use your energy in life. This means IFS is not like following strict rules. It’s more like an invitation.

With me, you’re getting more than just someone who helps with mental health. If you care about your therapist being real and caring, you’re in the right place. You’ll work with someone who is like a caring friend meant to help you heal, not just someone doing a job. I will talk to you naturally, in the moment, and with real feeling. Some therapists follow set rules and responses to what a person says or does. But because of my training, experience, and how I naturally am, I stay connected to the moment, to myself, and to you. I talk, guide, and join with you from a real place, using my gut feelings and curiosity. If this sounds a bit strange to you, that’s okay… and know that it helps a lot of people!

Master of Social Work, California State University, Sacramento       2014 – 2016
Emphasis: community mental health for adults & children;
Thesis Topic: Sexual Identity-Focused Therapy

Bachelor of Arts in Film & Media, University of California, Santa Barbara       2004 – 2008
Awarded outstanding graduate honors, voted upon by program faculty.

• PA for IFS Institute Level 1 training, LT Jory Agate, AT Jess Finney; July to October 2024.
• IFS Institute Level 1 LGBTQIA+ Affinity Training; August 2023 to January 2024.
• Somatic IFS Retreat – 7 day experiential training led by Somatic IFS founder Susan McConnell, January 2023.
• Self-led Grief – 2 day advanced intensive course on practicing IFS for grieving, run by IFSCA, June 2022.
• Stepping Out – 16 week, 48 hour intensive course for gay male therapists on practicing IFS run by IFSCA, September 2021 to December 2021.
  

About my approach

I am trained and experienced in helping people to drop into, explore, and connect with their own psyche.

What does connecting with your psyche mean? Although each person derives their own meaning and experience from connecting with their own psyche, from a scientific perspective, connecting to one’s own psyche means accessing a neural pathway in the brain that connects us to feelings of safety, connectivity, receptivity, and nurturing. From a spiritual perspective, it is accessing a place of unconditional love for yourself and others.

Dipping into your psyche can look many different ways. Most often, we begin with whatever you feel needs attention that day, and, from there, direct your attention to what’s happening in your psyche in relation to the topic being explored. I might ask questions about where the feeling or thought is in your body, what it looks like, and what your experience of it is like. We then explore its relationship to you, how you feel towards it, and what it wants or needs you to know in that moment.

This method is called Internal Family Systems (IFS), a highly effective evidence-based therapy.  IFS operates under the assumption that our  psyche is geared toward healing in the same way that our skin regenerates when we have been physically wounded. I see this work as accessing our psyche’s natural restorative abilities. Not only is it deep, powerful, and healing work, it is seen in the mental health community as one of the most effective treatments for PTSD, attachment wounds, and childhood trauma. IFS can be used for practically any concern including anxiety, depression, panic, relationship issues, and physical health issues.