My approach

You may look like you have it all together—capable, thoughtful, dependable, and often the person others turn to. Yet beneath the surface, there may be a constant pressure to get things just right. An undercurrent of anxiety keeps you scanning, adjusting, and anticipating what might go wrong. A quiet but persistent voice wonders whether you have done enough, given enough, or somehow become enough.

You may hold back your needs to avoid rocking the boat, replay conversations long after they have ended, or feel responsible for how other people feel. Perhaps you have learned to work hard for closeness, approval, or reassurance—trying to preserve connection even when doing so means losing touch with yourself.

These patterns do not come from nowhere. They are often deeply learned ways of staying safe in relationships and within your own inner world. People-pleasing, perfectionism, overthinking, withdrawing, overachieving, or holding everything inside may have once been intelligent and necessary ways of adapting. They may have helped you remain connected, avoid conflict, or find a sense of belonging when emotional safety, consistency, or attunement felt uncertain.

Over time, however, these same strategies can leave you feeling anxious, exhausted, unseen, or disconnected from who you really are.

I believe every person carries a story—not simply the version visible to others, but the complicated, tender story of how they came to be who they are. Our sense of self is shaped through thousands of moments: how we were loved, the messages we received about who we were allowed to be, the losses we carried, and the ways we learned to protect ourselves.

When we work together, my intention is not simply to help you manage symptoms or push through difficult days. I want to understand your story with you. We will make room for the experiences that feel confusing, painful, or difficult to name, while remaining respectful of the protective strategies that have helped you survive.

Together, we can become curious about the parts of you that work hard to keep everything together, the wounds that still need care, and the longings beneath the anxiety or self-doubt. Healing is not about erasing the past or becoming someone different. It is about making sense of what happened, offering compassion to what has been hurting, and coming back into a more honest and connected relationship with yourself.

I see emotions as guides rather than problems. Sadness, anger, guilt, fear, and anxiety are not personal flaws. They often carry important information about what you need, what you value, and where you have felt alone. In therapy, we can learn to listen to these emotions with greater gentleness so that they no longer need to overwhelm you or remain hidden.

I approach this work with warmth, curiosity, honesty, and deep respect for your story. I do not take lightly the courage it takes to let another person see the parts of you that have felt unseen for a long time. My hope is to offer a relationship in which you do not have to perform, protect everyone else, or carry everything alone.

Individual Therapy

Many of the individuals I work with experience anxiety, perfectionism, people-pleasing, self-criticism, difficulty setting boundaries, or a persistent fear of disappointing others. These patterns are often connected to anxious attachment and to earlier experiences in which love, reassurance, protection, or emotional presence did not always feel dependable.

You may long to feel secure, chosen, and at ease without having to earn it. Yet you may find yourself overgiving in relationships, searching for signs that something is wrong, questioning your worth, or changing yourself to remain connected. Even when life appears successful from the outside, you may privately feel stretched thin, uncertain, or afraid of falling short.

These struggles can take different forms across the course of a life. In your twenties, you may be trying to understand who you are while questioning your value in relationships or giving too much of yourself in the hope of being chosen. In your thirties, you may feel pressure to hold together a career, relationships, family responsibilities, and everyone else’s needs while quietly becoming overwhelmed. In your forties, the exhaustion of always being the responsible one may become more difficult to ignore. In your fifties and beyond, there may be a deeper reckoning with the ways you have shaped yourself around others and a growing desire to live more freely, honestly, and fully as yourself.

Whatever stage of life you are in, therapy offers a place where you do not have to hold everything together. We can explore how your patterns live not only in your thoughts but also in your body, nervous system, and relationships. Through a relational and attachment-informed approach, we will gently uncover the fears, unmet needs, protective strategies, and deeper longings that shape how you experience yourself and connect with others.

Sometimes parts of us remain tied to earlier moments of pain. They may continue carrying beliefs such as “I’m not enough,” “I’m too much,” “My needs are a burden,” or “I have to keep everyone happy to be loved.” Rather than judging or trying to silence these parts, we will listen to what they have been holding and understand what they have been trying to protect.

This is not about digging into pain for its own sake. It is about helping you release what you have carried for too long and creating space for something new.

Healing is not a straight line, and our work will move at a pace that respects your nervous system and your sense of safety. We will honor the strategies you have relied upon while exploring whether they are still needed in the same way. As awareness and compassion grow, you may find it easier to identify your needs, set boundaries without overwhelming guilt, tolerate the vulnerability of being seen, and respond to relationships with greater choice rather than fear.

Over time, we begin creating a different internal experience—one that feels steadier, more secure, and more aligned with who you truly are. You may become less governed by anxiety and self-doubt and more able to trust your own voice. You may find greater freedom to receive care, ask for what you need, and show up more authentically in your relationships.

Couples Therapy

In the early years of a relationship—whether you are building a life together, preparing for marriage, newly married, or becoming parents—love can feel both deeply grounding and unexpectedly uncertain. You are learning one another’s needs and patterns while navigating new responsibilities, changing identities, and increasing demands on your time and energy.

Even strong and loving couples can become caught in painful cycles. You may argue about the same things without ever feeling understood, withdraw from one another as responsibilities accumulate, or miss the closeness that once came more naturally. During major life transitions, love may still be present while becoming harder to feel.

Beneath many recurring disagreements is a deeper question: Are you there for me, and do I matter to you?

When that security feels threatened, each partner may respond differently. One person may pursue, question, criticize, or seek reassurance, while the other becomes quiet, defensive, overwhelmed, or distant. These reactions are not evidence that your relationship is failing. They are often protective responses—different ways of trying to preserve connection when closeness feels uncertain.

In therapy, we slow the cycle down and begin understanding what is happening beneath the surface. Using Emotionally Focused Therapy, we will explore how each of you reaches for connection and how stress, exhaustion, fear, or past relationship experiences can interfere with your ability to find one another.

Together, we will work toward expressing what truly matters without blame, responding to vulnerability with greater care, and repairing the moments when connection is missed. The goal is not to eliminate every disagreement. It is to help you face difficult moments as partners rather than adversaries and to create a relationship in which both of you can feel safer, more understood, and more emotionally accessible.

When couples experience greater security in their bond, they are better able to navigate change, recover from conflict, and meet life’s demands as a team. There is more room for affection, playfulness, honesty, and the quiet reassurance of knowing that you have a safe place to land in one another.

My Background

I received my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The Chicago School of Professional Psychology. My clinical experience includes partial hospitalization, residential treatment, and private practice settings. Throughout my work, I have supported clients experiencing eating disorders, anxiety, depression, trauma and post-traumatic stress, relationship difficulties, and challenges related to major life transitions.

My work is grounded in attachment and relational approaches, and I draw from Internal Family Systems, Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I also incorporate polyvagal-informed practices to support nervous-system regulation and help clients develop a greater sense of safety within themselves.

No single approach is right for every person. I thoughtfully tailor our work to your needs, history, strengths, relationships, and goals for change.

I affirm and welcome members of the LGBTQIA+ community and people from all cultural, racial, spiritual, and relational backgrounds. I am committed to creating a therapeutic space in which all parts of your identity are treated with dignity, curiosity, and respect.