I am a licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT) in Reno, Nevada. I hold a Master of Arts (M.A.) degree in Counseling with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Therapy. While in graduate school, I interned at both the Downing Counseling Clinic at the University of Nevada, Reno and as a school-based mental health counselor treating individuals, couples, adolescents and families with a wide range of concerns, including depression, anxiety, identity & self-esteem issues, and co-parenting & relationship issues.
I became licensed as an MFT in Nevada in August 2021, at which time I started my private practice. In 2022, I completed postgraduate training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy with the William Alanson White Institute, a respected training institute teaching the tradition of interpersonal psychoanalysis. The Institute’s philosophy toward therapy, which largely characterizes my own view, is that “people, through the enhancement of their own capacities, may more fully cope with the problems of living and the challenges of being simply human.”
My approach to psychotherapy is based in psychoanalytic theory, which originated from the work of Sigmund Freud. Freud, and those who he influenced, believed that our feelings and behaviors are largely governed by unconscious processes, a theory that is well-supported by current research. We often seek therapy when we are in a state of conflict between the part of ourselves that we know and the part of ourselves that is still a stranger to us. Living in modern times, we are often socialized to focus more on the outer world than our inner world. We learn to listen less to our own thoughts and feelings and more to how we “should” think and feel, based on what we imagine others expect of us or what we need to do to feel “good enough” or “normal.” In the process, we may have become quite skilled at tuning out and distancing ourselves from important thoughts and feelings. Anxiety, depression, loneliness, or strained relationships can all point to a need to turn inward and begin the process of understanding ourselves. Effective therapy should create an environment that is safe enough to explore difficult problems in living that interfere with our ability to enjoy our lives and relationships with others.
Outside the therapy office, I love to cook, walk, hike, and travel. I also have a passion for standup comedy, both as a fan and performer. I have performed at some of the top clubs in Nevada and California and have had the opportunity to open for some of the country’s top headliners. Some of my favorite standup comedians include Dave Chappelle, Jim Gaffigan, Brian Regan, Todd Barry, Norm MacDonald, Rodney Dangerfield, Tom McCaffrey, and Gary Gulman, just to name a few.