Through the therapeutic relationship, together, we work to uncover and transform these beliefs and make way for a more satisfying existence. I feel a profound sense of honor to be trusted with the life stories and inner world of my clients.

Sliding Scale Fee Structure: In the current climate of dwindling social service resources, I believe that it’s the duty of the community members to fill in the gaps. I offer roughly half of my client hours at a reduced rate for those who are in need. My regular rates are:

$70 for 60 minutes of individual counseling
$80 for 70 minutes of relationship counseling

Please phone me to discuss reduced rates if you are in need.

Cancellations: Occasionally life intervenes and prevents us from following through with our commitments. I trust our mutual respect of one another’s time. As such, I respectfully ask that you pay for any no-shows and sessions cancelled with less than 24 hours notice. I am always open to discussing your needs around these issues too.

Bio: I earned my master’s degree from Portland State University in Couples, Marriage and Family Counseling. This does not mean I am not trained to work with individuals. It simply means that my I am trained to counsel individuals and relationships from a systems perspective. That is, I see every client existing in the larger context of
his/her/their family. My degree also requires that I gain experience working with couples and/or families in order to graduate with this specialization. This is not required for other specializations.

I have a great interest in working with people who have emerged from high-demand group experiences, such as cults, extreme religious, political and spiritual communities. People who have experienced emerging from cults or other high-demand groups often experience profound feelings of alienation and shame, difficulty trusting others
and challenges regulating their emotional states. I have first-hand knowledge of the process and real understanding of what it takes to
untangle oneself from the experience.

In addition, during my year long internship at the YWCA Counseling Center in Portland, I gained experience working with a variety of people and issues that include trauma, anxiety, sexual dysfunction in relationships, sexual abuse, rape, etc. I found one niche working in particular with transgender relationships and other LGBTQQ clients in groups, relationships and individually. Prior to being a counselor, I worked with underprivileged youth in educational/social service settings for over 10 years total.

Finally, I am a first year student of post-master’s study in mindful- experiential therapy approaches through the M.E.T.A. and Hakomi Institute of Oregon. My study is a synthesis of Hakomi (a systematic study of experience that provides a detailed model of how to
intervene on physical, emotional, and mental levels) and Re-Creation of Self, developed by Jon Eisman (www.hakomiinstitute.com). Please let me know if you’d like to know more about my training.