My Journey Through Therapy and Healing
Background
I have always been interested in what it means to heal. Both my parents are medical professionals, and from a very young age, I was often found in the self-help section of the library—hehe. I am both personally and professionally interested in this concept and continue to weave through different understandings of what this means. Through my interest and practice of yoga, meditation, and counseling, I continue this pursuit. My great learning of how to sit with people has been my own inner work and the many therapists that have helped me along the way. I am so grateful for the teachers and mentors I have been fortunate to find and for the future teachers I might come across. These experiences have profoundly shaped me and inspired me to be able to hold space for others through my own journey and my work with clients. I am continuously amazed by the power of bringing awareness to the stories we tell ourselves and uncovering wounds that might be clouding our perception. Through this process, we can invite an unblocked emotional experience with more joy, meaning, and love in our relationship with ourselves, others and our relationship to life.
Philosophy
I find it helpful to look at this through the Jungian framework of the hero's journey. The hero's journey is a mythic metaphor in which the hero often faces a challenge in their life, such as confronting a dragon. Through this process, when facing the dragon, the hero learns many things about life itself. Struggling with mental challenges in life is part of self-discovery—or some might call it the self-actualization—process.
This perspective does not aim to minimize the pain and struggle that mental health challenges might bring. It is important to validate these struggles while also holding the view that, by facing our inner demons, we often alchemize our struggles and learn more about ourselves and what we might be holding onto from the past. Having anxiety or depression is often not a sign that we are broken but a sign that something inside of us is calling for our attention—perhaps a wounded part of us that needs to be comforted.
I see these times in our lives as moments of great courage, where we face these parts of ourselves. Through this journey, we might be surprised by what we discover. When we are wounded, it is often the time we have the greatest capacity to heal.
Approach
When I work with clients, I listen intently to how they talk about their lives to understand the storylines that are emerging. How do they view themselves and their experiences? By asking gentle questions and giving clients the space to share, we are able to weave a thread together and explore their inner world. Through this process, clients can connect with a wiser, more compassionate version of themselves, allowing them to approach the challenges they face with a sense of confidence and clarity.
I believe healing is not linear and is best approached in a gentle and compassionate way. I strive to create sessions that are warm and relaxed because I believe this is the most conducive environment for growth. I see progress as something that happens gradually and intentionally. I avoid rushing clients or using harsh confrontation, as I trust that my clients are ultimately the experts in their own lives.
I deeply enjoy sitting with my clients and getting to know their stories. There are so many unique experiences that people can have in this life. I see being a therapist as its own reward, and many of the clients I work with as my teachers, further deepening my understanding of what it means to be human.
Experience
I have 8 years of experience working in the human services field. I have worked with individuals experiencing addictions, using a harm reduction approach. I also have experience working in a recovery center for individuals experiencing disordered eating. After experience working in group environments, I found my strengths lie in one on one work. I found myself drawn to the more individual conversations in which I could work with clients and hear their story. Due to my passion for sitting with clients individually and interest in the human psyche I decided to pursue my Masters degree at City University of Seattle. I have been working with clients in a private practice for the past four years.