Every therapist is different in terms of their style, so it’s important to find someone you really jive with. Because I started out in the helping profession as a coach (you can read more about that here!), I tend to lean more active and directive - which means I’m going to be an active participant in therapy with you! As someone who is both a therapist and a consumer of therapy myself, I have always disliked when therapists are too passive and let clients flounder unnecessarily. I like to explore alongside you, and I tend to throw out questions, thoughts, or hypotheses for us to look at together. This allows us to “keep moving” rather than circling the drain - because even if the hypothesis we’re testing isn’t correct, it gives us more information that we can work with. In my sessions, we’re co-captaining the ship together - with you as the expert on your life, feelings, and experiences, and me as your guide to help you get to where you want to go!

Since my focus is on helping you learn how to be more authentic in your own life, it’s super important that I show up as my authentic self in the therapy room too! What does that mean in terms of what you can expect? Well, that means that I tend to cuss (sometimes there’s no better way to express how we feel about the trauma than dropping some F bombs!) and share my authentic reactions with clients (“OMG, he really said that?! WTF!”). I want you to feel safe in the room expressing how you feel without having to filter yourself.

As far as my methods, I mainly use parts work (specifically inner child work as part of the RRP model created by Amanda Curtin and popularized by Patrick Teahan), polyvagal theory (aka looking at the impact our nervous system has on our thoughts, emotions, and physiology), and somatic work with clients. I also use attachment theory, experiential therapy, and some cognitive approaches, depending on what the client needs. For work on food, movement, and our bodies, I use intuitive eating and weight neutral approaches.

My goal is always to create as much emotional safety for my clients as possible - which means when you enter the therapy room, you’re entering a nonjudgmental, shame free space geared towards helping you to feel safe. In my opinion, emotional safety is the most important aspect of trauma therapy, and I strive to create a space where that’s possible for all clients. I also am LGBTQ+ affirming and want all clients to feel safe when working with me or participating in one of my groups.

Group is a unique and different therapeutic modality than individual - while we can do a lot of great work in individual, group can help us heal in a different way; it allows us to get to know other trauma survivors from similar backgrounds and helps us know we are not alone in what we're going through. It also provides a great opportunity for us to heal in community, which can be very beneficial for childhood trauma survivors.

Groups are agenda focused and formulaic, and we do a lot of psychoeducation and experiential learning. It is NOT a support group where you'll feel like you have to show up and take care of other people - that's my job, not yours.

These groups are highly experiential - we’re going through handouts, comparing and contrasting the healthy family system vs. the dysfunctional family system, talking about and creating awareness around triggers, doing a genogram (aka a mental health/trauma focused family tree), etc. Occasionally we also have open groups for processing activities (like the genogram) and/or for group members to bring whatever is on their minds to discuss with the group, but generally the majority of our sessions are structured and focused. You can read more about groups here.

It depends on what you’re needing at this point in your healing journey. I usually recommend that clients do both at some point, in some way. For example, sometimes clients start with individual therapy, then join a group at a later date. Sometimes clients choose to go with a different therapist for individual therapy, but join one of my groups. If you choose to do group therapy, I always recommend clients also have an individual therapist (preferably a trauma informed therapist) so that that they can have a space to safely process anything that comes up in group. If you’re still not sure which one is right for you, feel free to apply for a screening call to see if it could be a fit. If it is a fit, then we can discuss which option(s) may make the most sense for you.

Yes, I work with clients on healing their childhood trauma and relationship with food and their body. Trauma and our relationship with food and our bodies is often connected; in fact dieting can be a form of trauma on the body, as our brain can’t tell the difference between a diet (a conscious choice) and food scarcity (i.e. famine, lack of access to food, etc.). Oftentimes, my clients may struggle with chronic dieting, overeating, using food as a coping mechanism, etc. - so if that’s something you struggle with, let’s chat! You can also read more about my approach to intuitive eating here.

As of right now, I only see clients virtually via telehealth - this includes individual, couples, and group therapy. Due to licensing restrictions, I am currently only able to see clients in North Carolina and South Carolina. However, please continue to check back as I plan to expand the states where I’m licensed in the future.

I don’t take insurance; however I can accept Flexible Savings Account (FSA) and Health Savings Account (HSA) cards, and can also provide you with receipts to submit to your insurance company for reimbursement. However, I cannot guarantee that your insurance provider will reimburse you for our sessions. I recommend contacting your insurance company directly if you have questions about your plan’s mental health benefits for out of network providers.

I typically see clients on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays during normal business hours (9 am - 5 pm). On Fridays, I see clients between 9:00 am and 3:30 pm. Generally, groups fall within those hours as well; however, sometimes I do offer an early evening group between the hours of 4 and 6 pm.