I am a licensed Marriage & Family Therapist who grew up in the Berkeley, CA. I have over 10 years of experience in the education, social justice and mental health fields.  My areas of deep focus have been somatics, process work, trauma-informed care, and the relationship between personal and social oppressions & our sense of wellness.  I have worked with children, adolescents and adults in school, private practice and group settings.   I believe connection with nature or spirit, creativity, and community are the foundations of healing and ongoing wellness.  

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In choosing someone to support you, it is important that the way they describe their work resonates with you, and that they have experience and/or interest in the issues you are facing or identities you have.  There are as many different kinds of therapists as there are people!  Here is a bit about how I work:  

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I believe the social context in which we grow up has great influence on our mental health. Since I was about 12 years old, I have dedicated my life to building awareness and understanding of the privileges and oppressions that exist based on social hierarchies in our society (racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, to name just a few) and how these influence my life.  As I keep working toward seeing myself more clearly (it's a lifelong process!) , I have become very open to seeing and hearing others of similar or different experience, doing the difficult work of unlearning social conditioning, building strong relationships across differences so that we can start to experience something new together.  My individual and group work is informed by this perspective.  

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My work has a somatic focus, which means "the living organism in its wholeness."  In our society, the mind is seen as separate from the body and spirit.  As a result, we are cut off from the innate intelligence of our bodies, we have forgotten how to listen to them and allow them to help us feel, be centered, and reach out to others.  Learning to be in our bodies can create a sense of safety and empowerment the outside world cannot offer us.  I also find that Internal Family Systems or "parts work" is very helpful to build awareness and understanding of ourselves, and to heal past wounds and move toward more empowerment and sense of safety in life.  My work is also informed by many years of Buddhist meditation practice, training in theater and dance,  process work techniques and 12 years working in public education.  As a result of my training and orientation, my approach seems best suited to those who have an interest in mindfulness, the body, creativity, spirituality and social justice.