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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
