1. What are your favorite clients to work with (populations of special interest)?
While I am open to working with many client populations, my favorite population to work with are multiracial clients who struggle with identity, and challenges of belonging. I am also interested in working with BIPOC clients who struggle with the various challenges of living in and navigating majority white spaces.
2. What inspired you to become a therapist?
Growing up in a multiracial, low-income family with divorced parents, I have been a witness to suffering my entire life. Additionally, my mother ran an in-home daycare throughout most of my childhood. With her, I vicariously learned the personal characteristics of a caretaker. I believe my early exposure to these two environments is what first instilled in me the value and passion to help others.
I also have experienced my own trauma throughout my life and have embarked on a journey of healing, which was supported by my studies in psychology in high school and college. Through this process, I have learned so much about how humans can heal, and what someone might need in order to achieve emotional, spiritual, and psychological well-being. Having personally experienced the immense capacity of one’s mind and life to subjectively change for the better, I became fascinated with the idea of contributing to this process for others. My earlier acquired passion for helping people found a real-world application when I considered counseling as a career path. I realized this was an opportunity to both sustain myself and my community.
3. What does it mean to you to heal, or be a healer/agent of healing?
I believe that healing is the process of increasing resilience and building insight relating to the wounds of our nervous system, while also decreasing the suffering caused said wounds. To heal is to become less controlled by our learned and automatic attempts at coping. To me, being an agent of healing is an absolute honor. I feel grateful that I have the privilege of walking alongside other humans in their journey to improving their experience of life. In my perspective, the most valuable aspect of life is the experience of life itself. Therefore, working to help others improve their experience feels like an invaluable service to provide.
4. What insurance(s) do you accept?
The insurance that I am able to accept as a student intern are Cigna and Evernorth, Kaiser (Out-of-Network), Providence, Regence. I can also accept out of pocket payments at $130 a session.