Specialities

I work with adults who are often thoughtful, self-aware, and doing a lot to hold it together — but underneath, they’re feeling stuck, disconnected, or overwhelmed. While some do, many of the people I work with wouldn’t necessarily name their experience as “trauma,” but they’re carrying long-standing patterns that no longer feel workable.

Below are some of the concerns and experiences I work with most often in therapy:

Relational Struggles

You often feel anxious in relationships — aware of your emotions, but unsure how to speak up or trust yourself. You might find yourself second-guessing, over-apologizing, or feeling responsible for how others feel. Romantic or friendship dynamics may feel confusing, one-sided, or like you’re constantly walking on eggshells.

What we often work on:

• Understanding what secure, mutual connection feels like

• The toll of people-pleasing and emotional caretaking

• Guilt or anxiety around setting boundaries

• Feeling like you’ve done something wrong when someone’s upset

• How early relationships may still be playing out

• Learning to listen to your needs and stay connected to yourself

• Codependency

Self-Worth and Self-Esteem Struggles

You may look like you have it together from the outside, but inside, you often feel not good enough. You might be highly self-critical, compare yourself constantly, or feel like your value depends on what you offer others. Compliments can be hard to believe, and rest or self-care may feel undeserved.

These patterns often show up in relationships, too — where you might feel unsure whether your partner really wants to be with you, or feel easily threatened by shifts in their attention or mood. Even when things seem okay, there may be a persistent worry that you're not lovable enough as you are.

What we often work on:

• Exploring the roots of harsh inner criticism and shame

• Understanding how self-worth became tied to performance, approval, or appearance

• Reclaiming a sense of worth that isn’t based on others’ perceptions

• Naming and working with younger parts of you that feel unworthy or afraid of being left

• Building a more compassionate, steady internal dialogue

• Feeling more secure in yourself and your relationships

Insecure Overachievement

You’re capable and responsible — but you don’t feel that way inside. You might be caught in cycles of perfectionism, over-functioning, or tying your worth to how much you do or how well you do it. Rest doesn’t always feel safe, and slowing down brings up guilt or anxiety.

What we often work on:

• Understanding how achievement and survival have gotten tangled

• Naming the fear of disappointing others or “dropping the ball”

• Exploring burnout and the cost of being the dependable one

• Shifting from constant doing to a more grounded sense of being

• Building a self-worth that isn’t dependent on performance

Adult Children of Emotionally Immature Parents

You grew up with a parent who was emotionally unavailable, critical, unpredictable, or enmeshed. You may still carry guilt for having needs, or feel unsure how to set boundaries — especially with family. You’ve learned to caretake, perform, or over-adapt, and might be wondering who you are underneath all of that.

Sometimes this is called emotional parentification — when, as a child, you felt responsible for a parent’s emotions, wellbeing, or sense of stability. You may have learned early on that your job was to soothe, protect, or manage others, often at the expense of your own needs.

What we often work on:

• Recognizing emotional parentification and its long-term effects

• Naming the roles you took on to feel safe or loved

• Working through guilt and confusion around boundaries

• Understanding how these patterns show up in current relationships

• Rebuilding a sense of self that feels solid and your own

Recent Trauma

You’ve experienced a recent loss, breakup, betrayal, accident, illness, medical procedure, or generally traumatizing event, like witnessing violence — and even though time has passed, it still feels like something hasn’t settled. You might feel stuck between numbness and overwhelm, or surprised by how triggered you still are.

What we often work on:

• Making sense of trauma responses — even when the event doesn’t seem “big enough”

• Why you can’t just “move on” (and why that’s not a failure)

• Understanding what’s happening in your nervous system

• Using EMDR to support processing, not just talking about it

• Finding grounding and relief, one step at a time