I'm a Texas-born product of a former Marine Corps, liberal trans-woman and artist, and a relatively conservative, southern former school teacher who divorced when I was in grade school. Of course, that is a gross underrepresentation of the full spectrum of both their personhoods, but you get the picture. Just like you, I started out in this world steeped in my own family's culture as well as my community's social norms. As you might imagine, between Mom, Dad, and society, those values and expectations were all over the board and often clashed. I tell you this because my origins have allowed me to do some solid work to define and live according to my own values, which translates to the insight, compassion, and curiosity I bring to our sessions.
At this point in my life, I recognize that I carry the privilege of a white, middle aged, able-bodied, straight-passing ciswoman in a mono and heteronormative marriage. As an ally and an anti-racist, I recognize the continuous accountability, work, humility, and responsibility to unpack and unlearn colonialist, patriarchal ideology and amplify other voices.
I'm also a mother, stepmother, daughter, sister, spouse, friend, gardener, cancer survivor, divorce recoverer, and (of course!) a fully licensed and experienced therapist who loves what she gets to do for a living. As Walt Whitman said, like all of us, "I contain multitudes." So, I understand that your experience is uniquely yours, and my foundation simply allows me the opportunity to hold space and support you while exploring, growing, and orienting to what's meaningful to you.
I bring myself, as a human, to our work together, alongside my years of experience and education. While I am continuously reading, researching, and learning up to date information that gets applied in our sessions, I am not a textbook, or a psychoanalytical robot. Our relationship is a therapeutic tool in and of itself, and I invite candor, humor, and genuine connection.
