Frequently asked questions about therapy with me

I am black or brown, fall along the gender spectrum, identify as LGBTQIA, am differently abled, fat, practice a minority religion and/or experience oppression related to my identity. How do I know your practice is safe for me?

My ethics commit me to attend to power dynamics related to White Supremacy Culture and to the best of my awareness, which is of course limited by my positionality, I will interrupt racism, transphobia and other oppressive moves when they occur on my watch. I will speak to power in the room and will support you when you feel called to speak as well. Due to my placement within the hierarchies set forth and adhered to in our “United Statesian,” Culture, I know something of the burden placed on marginalized people to do privileged folx’ work. I am committed relieving some of your burden by stepping in where harm is being done. Through my ongoing Somatic Abolitionism practice, cross racial conversations within the framework set forth by Dr. Kenneth Hardy and my continued focus on learning from black and brown leaders I am expanding my lens. This is a life long journey for me.

I am in an active process of dismantling the thousand and one ways I’ve been trained to evaluate myself and others according to external perfectionistic and performative standards. I am better off in the world that is opening to me: the one that sees life in all its variance as beautiful. For you (for us…) to make the changes in your (our) life lives) you wish to make, YOUR BODY MUST FEEL SAFE. Via years long attachment oriented training with Bonnie Badenoch in Interpersonal Neurobiology and her mentees, I know my way around the Nervous System experientially. Ruptures will occur. I will ALWAYS prioritize the repair your body needs to be who you are with others.

I’ve had unsatisfying, even harmful experiences with therapy in the past. Does it even make sense to risk working with you?

If the information on my website calls to you, then yes, absolutely. My clients say, I have impeccable boundaries. They are transparent and always in service to what’s best for you and your work. I hold all my client relationships with the respect and care I believe you deserve and you are an individual with particular needs and preferences. I do everything I can to create the safety you’ll need to let me know when something feels off in our connection. It’s bound to happen. Ruptures of this kind are a healthy part of any relationship.

Change doesn’t happen through talk alone. I am aware of this and actively track the process to assure it is moving along (or in some cases has plenty of room to open up.) We will communicate regarding how things are going and check in at points throughout our work for reorientation and changes in focus. You have every right to know what I’m up to and how what I’m doing is in service to your goals. I invite you to always share your concerns, questions about our process and complaints with me directly. I welcome your frustrations and skepticism. It’s my job to demonstrate I can be trusted to be with all of your feelings and to prove through results that work with me will get you where you want to go.

Do you have expertise with my problem?

As a Licensed Professional Counselor and Certified Group Psychotherapist, I can help you in both individual and group formats to step out of patterns that you haven’t had luck shifting in other ways. I help adults from a broad range of cultural backgrounds gain more satisfaction from their lives in general and with family, in partnerships, in work and in your community endeavors. I may also be able to help you with ongoing depressive symptoms, social or generalized anxiety, PTSD symptomology or difficulties feeling connected to yourself or others, I may be able to help. More info here…

What is Attachment Therapy?

Attachment Therapy is an experiential, present moment method of working with clients that focuses on learned and often hidden beliefs about relationships and the world. Connection and Safety are prerequisites that support us to move out into the world to create, take risks, explore and accomplish our goals. I love my work with individuals and with groups. Find more information here…

What is a Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP?)

The American Group Psychotherapy Association defines a CGP as follows:
A Certified Group Psychotherapist is a clinical mental health professional who has met internationally accepted criteria of education, training and experience in group psychotherapy. A Certified Group Psychotherapist is an expert in group psychotherapy and an ethical practitioner who is committed to group psychotherapy as an autonomous treatment modality.

It’s beneficial to know the credentials of the leader of any group you are drawn to participate in. Group Therapy as a stand alone treatment has powerful, experiential healing potential, as it often works on our most difficult patterns at an implicit level. As a CGP, I am trained to attend to these often misinterpreted or overlooked dynamics which, occur in all group experiences.

Group Therapy sounds awful!! Why even consider it?

Group therapy does require some willingness to expose yourself. Group can be uncomfortable, even unpleasant at times. But what we group therapists say is, “Yeah. Like life! Isn’t it wonderful?!?” What better way to work through your difficulty with decision making, boundary setting, staying engaged through differences, or being truly intimate with your most important people than in a laboratory where screwing up, interrupting, saying too much or too little, fumbling and losing your way are celebrated rather than shamed. Group therapy gives participants access to the full range of human emotions. It stretches us in all the best ways. Find more information here…

Do you offer a free consultation?

I offer 20 minute free consultations by phone or in person. You can connect for one here. These give us enough time to get an initial feel for each other. I also offer 50 minute consultations at my current session rate of $200. Capitalism pretends money is an absolute resource. I call baloney. Please don’t let it be the barrier to our working together. You can learn about my relational fee schedule here.

What if I’m not struggling with a serious mental health issue? Does it make sense to consider therapy?

Yes. Therapy is a space you set aside for yourself. It’s a commitment of time and space you set aside to learn more about yourself and what makes you tick. Therapy with the right practitioner is enlivening. It can help you access more joy and playfulness, more confidence, more sex appeal, more emotional capacity and more energy for life. When you decide you are worth it, you take a radical step away from the status quo and towards more effectiveness, satisfaction, clarity and peace in love, your work and your life. You get out of this life what you put into it. Therapy is one way to invest in yourself.

What kinds of groups do you offer?

I specialize in interpersonal process groups, which consist of 6-10 people who come together with a shared interest in what makes us human, how we connect, how we are different and how we can all get along. Getting along doesn’t necessarily mean always being nice (people pleasers!) But learning to stay even when we are frustrated, that our differences are what make life interesting and that anger can connect us is steadying gift that can serve us to build the kind of satisfying relationships we’ve always longed for. I offer these groups in short and term forms, like and mixed gender formats. More info here…

How do I know therapy is working? 

Unexpected, subtle shifts will surprise you. Of course we must learn to pay special attention to ourselves to notice these changes. It’s essential that we learn to celebrate the little gains. Learning this kindness is a core aspect of therapy with me. And I’ll be happy to celebrate while you’re still learning. Therapy with me is working when life starts to feel a little easier. When you are not striving so hard to maintain equilibrium. Change in our work just show up. It will be emergent as opposed to resulting from an impossible regimen of self-care strategies.

I have a friend or family member who is in crisis. What should I do?

I am not a crisis counselor and am unable to support clients who need more than weekly or twice weekly sessions. Suicidality and severe mental illnesses require consistant monitoring, which I am unable to provide in private practice. The Multnomah County Crisis Line (503)988-4888 is an excellent resource and phone staff there can offer you guidance to needed services.

Frequently asked questions about logistics

What’s your availability?

I see clients Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday and currently most of my openings fall during the traditional work day. Sessions after 5pm do open but infrequently, so if you do not have flexibility in your schedule feel free to call and check the status of my waiting list.

Where are you located?

Currently all individual sessions occur via zoom. Group therapy occurs in a hybrid format, with some sessions online and at least one session a month in person.

Can I come to sessions every other week? 

Yes and No. If you are starting individual sessions with me to prepare for group work, eventually yes. We’ll create a plan according to your readiness and move towards biweekly, monthly and potentially group only sessions.

However, attachment oriented therapy is most effective in a weekly session format. I require a commitment of at least six weekly sessions and am biased towards ongoing weekly therapy. I am happy to discuss this once we’ve begun our work.

Do you take insurance or reduced fee options?

I do not bill insurance. Because the insurance system can be disruptive to process, is pathologically oriented and functions in ways that are antithetical to my values, I have built a private pay practice. Ethically this has been a difficult decision, as I am very committed to making my practice accessible to folx who due to systemic exclusion, have had less access to wealth.

I run groups which, I do everything I can to make accessible to clients who have limited means financially. I also offer a limited number of lower cost Individual sessions to interested clients who are either in group or who see me weekly. Please don’t let finances create a barrier for you to my practice. Connect. If you are a good fit for this work, I’d love to see how I can support you.

How do you take payment?

All payments are charged via Ivy pay, a text based, confidential platform. Payment is due at or before the time of our session.