Who I am and how I got here
Being human feels like an art form to me.
There are infinite ways to experience and express our uniqueness in the world. As artists, we have to work creatively within the limitations and circumstances we've been given, learning as we go, sometimes painting over a passage or even the entire canvas to begin again. We may take paths we never expected before discovering what we truly want to create: what is ultimately the best expression of who we are.
My professional path has evolved alongside this understanding. My education gave me a strong foundation in psychology, but life complicated it in ways I have come to appreciate. My own struggles, relationships, and experiences of growing and changing have taught me things no classroom could. I am also deeply grateful to the many people who have sat on my couch and trusted me with their stories and vulnerability. They have shaped the person and therapist I am today.
At the heart of my work is a deep love for being human—the complexity of it, the difficulty of it, and the mystery of it.
The exploration of the unanswerable questions has always guided my path: What shapes us? Why do we suffer? What allows us to love, grow, and change? How do we make meaning of our lives? I've followed my curiosity into philosophy, religion, literature, music, science, nature, and the wisdom traditions of other cultures, always looking for different ways of understanding what it means to be human.
That curiosity has shaped not only what I study, but how I live. Some of the things I value most are difficult to put into words: the awe of time spent in nature, making music, being present with someone I love. These experiences have taught me that some of life's most important truths are felt before they are understood. They have also made me increasingly aware that knowledge is only one way of knowing.
Education, training, & professional experience
Before becoming a psychologist, I studied Philosophy and Religious Studies at Rice University and earned a Master of Theological Studies from Emory University. I later earned my Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) from George Washington University, where I received psychodynamic training. I interned at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the New York Psychoanalytic Institute.
As my work evolved, I pursued extensive training in approaches that engage the body and nervous system alongside psychological insight, including becoming a Somatic Experiencing Therapist and completing certification in EMDR. I have continued to study Internal Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Therapy, the Gottman Method, Family Constellations, and other experiential and relational approaches. My learning has also extended beyond conventional psychotherapy through an ongoing exploration of spirituality, contemplative traditions, and other ways of understanding human experience.
Throughout my career, I have worked in psychiatric hospitals, residential and outpatient addiction treatment centers, community mental health programs, and nonprofit organizations. For the first decade of my career, I focused on serving people experiencing homelessness and complex trauma. I have also worked as both a clinical and executive director, with experience in clinical leadership, program development, supervision, and professional training.