As a therapist, I aim to grow alongside my clients with each interaction. While I will guide you, should you choose to let me, with my clinical expertise, I am not one with all the answers. Rather, I believe that each person holds their own wisdom, and my role is to walk with them as they access it. I strongly support the notion that growth and healing are found in human connection. This is what excites me the most about beginning this journey - the privilege of witnessing people at their most honest and vulnerable, as well as the opportunity to co-create new narratives of strength, survival, and possibility. Having been trained in psychodynamic and relational therapy, I might challenge you to examine your past experiences and relationships, and how they shape the present you, so we can discover what is holding you back. Even though I do not assign homework, I may do so at your request or when I find it to be necessary. For me, progress is never linear, so you should never have to feel like you have to check off certain boxes. The MOST important thing YOU can do is show up!

I’m not sure if I have an ideal client yet. I find every client so different, and the work becomes new with every session. However, I would like for clients to show up as authentically as possible, whatever that might mean for them. If you’ve got a crisis or breakdown, don’t hesitate to show that right at the door. If you’re feeling stuck or unsure about the therapeutic relationship, let us discuss what the next steps will be or where else you might need help with. Having been on both sides of the screen, I understand how confusing therapy can be, but I certainly won’t know if you don’t attempt to share it with me. If things become too uncomfortable to share during our sessions, send me a follow-up email or write a note so that we can actively talk about it the next time we meet.

I’ve always tried to push back against gender norms when it comes to mental health. I’m using “push back” very loosely here because it feels like the least I could do, especially when it comes to men’s mental health. I make an effort to do so because I was raised in a family where everyone would communicate their feelings instead of bottling them up, and I was also lucky enough to have close friends who are very emotionally intelligent and encourage me to break through my own personal discomforts. Having worked extensively with male-identifying individuals in the past year, I have come to realize that cisgender men generally struggle with emotion expressions. Their experiences are informed by both societal norms and cultural expectations, and when combined, these two make a pretty disastrous combo. There tends to be a hard block, and at times genuine fear, to be honest about how they feel, and even a simple question of “How does that make you feel?” can drive us towards a dead-end. I wish to be a bigger advocate for more fluid evaluations of masculinity, and I hope that through my work, I can safely encourage men to re-examine their identities and place within their respective environments.

I’m not sure if there is an end goal for therapy. That’s why when searching for a therapist, I was always so puzzled by the question: “What do you hope to achieve at the end of our journey together?” I believe that therapy is ever-changing, always evolving into something unforeseeable as it reflects each stage of life you go through.