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Areas of Expertise

Counseling

I provide counseling to individuals, from teens to elders, who might be working with issues around major life transitions, grief, loss, chronic pain, understanding identity, stress, anxiety, and depression.  I specialize in working with individuals who are in helping roles with others, and who are interested in support with their mindfulness practice.  

Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction

I am trained in Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR).  MBSR is a research-based program, designed to give participants the experience of learning mindfulness.  Mindfulness is a way of paying attention to whatever is happening in our lives, moment by moment, in a non-judgmental way.  Within a supportive group environment, practicing mindfulness can help participants take better care of themselves, improve physical and psychological well-being, and to live a more connected and fulfilling life.

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Mindfulness-Based Cultural Competency

I provide cultural competency training to organizations, businesses, and groups interested in increasing their collective's skill around intercultural connection.  These trainings include practicing mindfulness and self-acceptance skills with didactic understanding of cultural differences.  

My Approach

At the foundation of my approach, I cultivate compassion and awareness to support learning, growth, and change.  My work is based in over 15 years of experience in the helping professions, with a diversity of individuals and organizations.  I utilize trauma-informed care, mindfulness, expressive and narrative therapy, Internal Family Systems, anti-oppression theory, traditional healing, and liberation psychology. 

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I support individual freedom and creativity for greater health and well-being, whether that is within an individual or a collective.  Effective self and group leadership stem from an inclusive and person-centered approach.  It is a benefit to any system that each part receives a voice.  I assist by providing skills and eduction for translation and inter-communication to occur, unblocking painful patterns of relating to ourselves, each other, and our environment.  

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I received my B.A. in Social and Cultural Studies from The Evergreen State College in 2004 and my M.A. in Counseling Psychology from St. Martin's University in 2012. I completed the Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Teacher Training Intensive from UCSD Center for mindfulness in 2017.  I am currently enrolled in Tara Brach and Jack Kornfield's 2 year Mindfulness Meditation Teacher Training Certification Program.

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I grew up on islands, within the continental United States and in the Pacific Ocean.  Being an islander has been formative, particularly in building bridges between people and cultures.   

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My Approach
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