“The wound is where is the light comes in.”
Rumi
Therapy With Heart
Therapy for Self-Worth, People-Pleasing, and Sensitive Adults Who Want to Feel More Like Themselves
Do you feel like you’re always trying—trying to be good, calm, kind, productive—yet still something inside feels unseen or not quite right? You may look composed on the outside but feel anxious, overwhelmed, or unsure of who you are underneath the roles you’ve taken on. Maybe you silence your needs to keep the peace, or question your every decision, afraid to take up space.
Many of the people I work with are sensitive, thoughtful adults who learned early to care for others at the cost of themselves. In families or systems where emotions weren’t fully welcome, they adapted by shrinking, pleasing, or striving. These survival strategies—like perfectionism, overthinking, or self-doubt—once protected you. But now they keep you from the deep connection, self-trust, and inner steadiness you long for.
Therapy can offer a space to breathe. A space to hear your own voice again. Together, we’ll move gently beneath the surface—at your pace—to explore the roots of old patterns, honor what kept you safe, and invite new ways of being that feel more grounded, free, and real.
I offer in-person therapy near Topanga Canyon, surrounded by nature, and virtual therapy throughout California. If you’re ready to feel more like yourself—more whole, steady, and at home in your life. Contact me for a free 15 minute consultation.
How I Help
I help adults in California who feel disconnected from their self-worth or unsure how to trust themselves. My clients are often sensitive, thoughtful, and used to holding it all together—but under the surface, they feel overwhelmed, lost, or stuck in old patterns they can’t quite name.
In our work together, we slow things down. We explore the roots of your struggles without judgment. That might include family dynamics, early experiences of invisibility, or long-held beliefs that you’re “too much” or “not enough.” Through warm attunement, deep listening, and collaborative reflection, I help you reconnect to your body, your voice, and your truth.
My approach blends mindfulness, somatic awareness, self-compassion practices, and evocative metaphor. I don’t believe in quick fixes or surface-level tools. I believe in helping you come home to yourself—gently, steadily, and with care.
You don’t need to perform in therapy. You don’t need to have the perfect words. You just need to show up. Together, we’ll make space for the version of you that’s been waiting to emerge.
Education
UC Berkeley - Linguistics Studies, 2005
Antioch University Los Angeles - BA, Liberal Arts, 2019
Antioch University Los Angeles - MA, Applied Psychology, 2021
Training and Experience
Southern California Counseling Center - Associate Therapist
Airport Marina Counseling Services - Associate Therapist
Teen Line Hotline - Resource Associate, supervisor to teens responding to teen hotline
Nicholas O’ Madden - Private practice associate therapist
Stepping Stones Group - Associate Therapist working with kids, teens, and parents
Emotion Focused Therapy training, Level 1
Trauma-Focused CBT
Community Resiliency Model
Supervision and consultation (Some of the people I’ve learned from and studied with)
Dr. Marcia Steinberg, PsyD, - psychoanalytic individual supervision
Dr. David McPhee, PhD - Person Centered supervision, individual and group
Dr. Peter Maduro, PsyD, JD - Intersubjective consultation group
