ABOUT ME

EVERYTHING WAS OK, BUT ME.

In high school, I went to therapy for anxiety & depression. I had trouble identifying the cause of my struggles. I was taught great coping strategies but continued to struggle for many years. At some point, I was only coping with my life but not fully living it. All I wanted was to resolve my pain. 

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TRAUMA HAPPENED. 

After graduate school, I became a forensic interviewer. I interviewed children & teens about alleged abuse cases. During this time, I experienced trauma. Even though worked with survivors everyday, I realized there was so much I didn’t know or understand. It changed my entire life, my understanding of trauma, & how I offer therapy.

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I SURVIVED. NOW WHAT?

My life post-trauma was the hardest part for me. I thought I could just “work through it” & “move on”. When that didn’t happen, I felt hopeless, misunderstood, & alone (as many of us do). I was tired of trying to fix things & people in my life thought I should be “past it.” Even if the trauma wasn’t my fault, I lived with all the consequences. 

 

I’M NOT A DISORDER. 

My experience with trauma helped me develop a different outlook on healing. I believe you have to adapt to survive trauma which can create unique skills. These survival skills may also be called side effects (for example, hyper-vigilance, perfectionism, etc). Once your trauma is over, these skills often no longer serve you and can be a burden for you. However, you may be able to repurpose these survival skills in your life post-trauma. If you are struggling with the impacts of trauma, I’d like to help you understand it and work through it.