I was raised in a faith tradition that taught many beautiful things, but also communicated the message that people are bad at their core, and any parts of ourselves that we don’t like need to be feared and fought against. I found again and again over time that attempting to get rid of the parts of myself that I did not like did not make them go away, and only further entrenched them. Learning about and then getting trained in Internal Family Systems (or “parts work”) has been hugely influential in shifting from a “getting rid of” perspective to a posture of respect and learning, even for parts that are showing up in challenging ways. This allows for these parts to feel heard and understood for the role they've served, and allows for the parts to soften when they feel ready. For myself and the clients I’ve worked with, practicing internal kindness to all parts of ourselves has been key, and why my practice is called Kindness Inside.
 
I utilize calm, reflective listening, and asking questions to get to your own innate inner knowing. I’m influenced by Motivational Interviewing, which emphasizes that change will happen when a person is ready, and asking questions and presenting options to assess for readiness for change is more effective than telling someone what to do. I see my role as a guide rather than a director, and my goal is to follow the parts in your system, to gain consent from all parts before moving forward, and to trust your system knows what it needs.
 
I provide individual therapy to women and gender non conforming adults of color, and a lot of the focus of my work is processing through grief and loss with folks.