About Cultivating Capacity

When you're looking for a therapist, training is important. But so is compatibility: What's it like to work with them? Will they "get" your story and appreciate who you are? To answer those questions, I want to ask you to think about a familiar children's toy—the one where you put different-shaped blocks into the matching holes in a box. I don't try to smash stars into square holes.

Instead, I meet you exactly as you are—with all your complexity, contradictions, and brilliance. This understanding comes from both professional training and my own lived experience as a survivor of sexual violence. My journey through systems not built for people like me helped teach me to recognize when someone feels unseen, unheard, or misunderstood. I bring this dual perspective to every session, creating an environment where your full truth can unfold without judgment.

My career has taken me through family medicine, nonprofits, community mental health, military settings, and private practice across multiple continents. I've worked with both survivors and perpetrators, overseen military sexual assault prevention programs, been recognized by foreign governments for my work in sexual violence advocacy, and written for publications read by Congress and other governmental officials.

I'm also someone living with chronic illness and disability, recently diagnosed with a neurological condition that has taught me about slowing down and honoring my own limits. This lived experience with vulnerability deepens my capacity to sit with discomfort and extend unconditional positive regard, even in the most challenging moments.‍

Because I believe in constant learning and growth for clinicians, I’m currently pursuing my doctorate. But, even more than that, I believe in doing the work myself—walking alongside you on the journey toward well-being and actualization.