The world is on fire. Right now, in our country, there is real work that needs to be done.
You’re here to learn about me as a counselor, and I want to also share that outside of my clinical work with clients like you, I am active within my profession and in my community as an advocate for change.
In my work with my clients, the whole focus is on you, however who I am and how I show up in my own life matters too. I won’t pretend that it doesn’t.
The counseling profession has a Code of Ethics. Some of the core values of counseling that I actively put into practice include:
- Honoring diversity and embracing a multicultural approach in support of the worth, dignity, potential, and uniqueness of people within their social and cultural contexts
and - Promoting social justice
For me as a licensed clinical counselor, that means fighting against oppressive systems and policies, and decolonizing my practice.
It also means that I am especially interested in working with you if you hold any identities that may make you a target:
- trans or nonbinary
- neurodivergent
- queer
- not white
- disabled
- experiencing pregnancy
- an immigrant
I will do all that I can to make you feel safe. I offer teletherapy so that you can meet with me in a location where you will have privacy, without having to come to an office. Even though your records are already confidential, I am careful what I include in my treatment notes, and I protect your information in ways that you might not have even thought about (for example, I don’t have any Alexa or Siri devices and no Ring cameras etc, so there will be no technology “listening in” when we have our session). It’s hard enough to show up and be vulnerable with someone to work through our pain. I want you to know that I honor your lived experience and take extra steps to protect you in all the ways that I can.
For white clients
Changing society and fixing structural inequities are important if we’re going to have a truly free world of fairness and opportunity for all.
How do we get there?
The real work of social justice has to happen at an individual level. An internal one.
As above, so below.
The outer world is a reflection of the inner.
I am interested in connecting with humans – particularly those who identify as white and occupy a position in the dominant culture – who would like to further examine their privilege, who are ready for the difficult conversations with themselves. I also am doing the inner work required for me to serve clients of color with awareness and, hopefully, humility, though I understand that many POC may find it more comfortable to choose a counselor of color instead of a white person (see below for directories).
I have worked with many white people who are looking at the unjust world and wondering how they can help make things different. Even with this willingness, it can be incredibly difficult to look deeply at ways that we may have caused harm from our whiteness — unintentionally, and due almost always to lack of awareness, yet when the harm is seen there is often much guilt and shame.
This work can be approached with an open-eyed willingness at times, and at others, we may find ourselves shying away from the immensity of it.
I hope you won’t shy away from it now. I am on this journey too, and I am available as a witness, or perhaps a guide through some of the rough spots that I am already familiar with. This inner social justice work need not be the focus of your therapy, however I invite you into it, if you are a fellow white person, with the suggestion that maybe there is something here for us to consider. We can do it together.
Holding unexamined privilege is a form of denial. Denial is one type of defense against pain. Looking at it can bring up shame, one of the most difficult emotions. Yet it could be so worth it, if you feel ready, because of the potential for peace to arise in its place.
Recognition is the first step towards change. All parts of ourselves must be invited in, before they may be understood.
If this invitation is for you, you know it, and I’m here for this inner work with you if it’s time.
What if I just want to do “regular” therapy?
All therapy is about liberation from suffering. If you’re reading this page because you want to get help with your struggles, that is completely legit and that is enough. Full stop. You’re not expected to take on the issues of the world when you are trying to get relief from your own emotional pain. Much of my work with people is centered on understanding and perspective of their unique needs without a social justice component at all. I do not have an agenda for what your needs are or what is required for you. I have experience with a range of people, yet you are a unique individual, and I would come into the relationship being open and responsive to you and your needs.
If the words on the pages of this site resonate with you on any level, then I invite you to reach out and see if there might be something available here, where we could discover together new ways of living that bring greater joy to your experience.
Resources for Racially Sensitive and Culturally Aware Counseling
Understanding white supremacy culture: Tema Okun’s site https://www.whitesupremacyculture.info/