Formal Education & Training
I hold a master’s degree in Contemplative Psychotherapy and Buddhist Psychology from Naropa University. This is my foundation. I find wisdom in attachment theory, Existential Humanism, Motivational Interviewing, and liberation psychology, as well as fiction, music, and poetry. My earlier education includes a bachelor’s degree in religious ethics and a master’s degree in arts administration.
My background includes work in social justice and arts organizations with a focus on using creativity to confront economic and racial oppression. My path to becoming a counselor has not been direct. This diversity of experience broadened my perspective and strengthened my ability to connect with a range of people. As a Licensed Professional Counselor registered with the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists, I abide by its Code of Ethics. (license # C6788)
Community Connections
My training and experience have prepared me to help people in many kinds of pain and difficulty but I’m most effective with people feeling alienated or misplaced. Perhaps you make unconventional choices in your career path, relationships, or life interests. You are often thoughtful and curious. You may struggle to know yourself, to like yourself, to feel good in relationships or to have a secure sense of purpose and meaning.
I also specialize in concerns related to long-term care giving, changes of aging, spiritual inquiry and end-of-life preparation. Much of my clinical experience has been with people 65 and older. I've provided in-home direct care for people with dementia, stroke paralysis, and other complex presentations. Recently, I provided care for a friend in the final stages of ALS.
Communities that I care for and directly relate to include: LGBTQIA, spiritual seekers, activists, artists, people with unconventional relationships and careers.
Living Life
This is a favorite poem and photo of me. My version of "Blackwater Pond" is wild berries. In this photo I'm three days into a hike. I've been picking and eating blueberries on remote Alaskan tundra. I'm feeling connected to an intrinsic healthiness and sense of belonging - one I sometimes struggle to find in myself. But, with support and practice, it has become easier. It is wonderful to feel welcomed. Being a therapist is an amazing opportunity to put all of my life experience, emotional insight, intelligence and creativity in service of another person. I’d value a chance to talk with you about what you want more or less of in your life.
Mornings at Blackwater
by Mary Oliver
For years, every morning, I drank
from Blackwater Pond
It was flavored with oak leaves and also, no doubt,
the feet of ducks.
And always it assuaged me
from the dry bowl of the very far past.
What I want to say is
that the past is the past,
and the present is what your life is,
and you are capable
of choosing what that will be,
darling citizen.
So come to the pond,
or the river of your imagination,
or the harbor of your longing,
and put your lips to the world.
And live
your life.
