What should I expect in our first session?
Our first session is an opportunity for us to get to know one another. I want to understand who you are as an entire person, across the many dimensions of your life. I’m interested in your history, the challenges you’re facing, and what you hope to achieve through treatment. I also want to hear about what’s going well and the strengths you already bring so that we can build on them together. We’ll use our time to identify your priorities and begin developing a treatment plan that feels productive and manageable, guided by your goals.
How do you describe your therapeutic approach?
Certain patterns in our lives are often not immediately obvious to us. I believe that when these patterns are recognized and better understood, we can work toward different and more intentional ways of living. I aim to support this exploration through dialogue and reflection.
I also believe it’s important to critically examine the narratives through which we interpret our lives and to consider the forces shaping them. This can help us to take a more active role in how these stories are understood, revised, and retold. In practice, this means approaching your experiences with curiosity, considering where familiar assumptions come from, and deciding which ways of understanding yourself are most useful.
When medication is part of treatment, we will consider the potential benefits, side effects, alternatives, and how each option fits into your daily life. I want you to understand the rationale behind my recommendations and to feel comfortable asking questions or expressing concerns.
What’s something your clients might be surprised to learn about you?
I was born and raised in southwestern Wyoming, where the nearest large city was a three-hour drive away. I moved to New York for my undergraduate degree and have been here since. I love the experiences and cultural opportunities that living in the city provides, particularly live music, but I still enjoy spending time wandering around a national park.
In another life, if you weren’t working in counseling, what would you be doing?
I love working in this field, and I wouldn’t have it any other way. But whenever I find a new hobby, I do find myself imagining what it would mean if it were at the center of my life. In the past, that’s been thinking about a yoga studio with an attached community language center; since taking up knitting, there’ve been occasional daydreams about an upstate goat and sheep farm.
What’s a self-care ritual you practice?
I have been consistently practicing vinyasa yoga for about fifteen years. It’s a part of my life that has brought me a lot of joy, calm, and satisfaction. Certain techniques and methods that draw from those classes (like mindfulness practices and breathing exercises) may also have their place in our sessions, if that is something you would like to incorporate.