Areas of Specialty
Gender Affirming Therapy
You’re tired of being misgendered and misunderstood.
You’re sick of being pathologized and minimized.
You’re scared and seeking answers.
The process of gender formation is a lifelong journey, and for those of us who don’t fit a cisnormative mold — the challenges we face are far greater and more complex. Maybe you grew up in environment that wasn’t safe for you to explore your gender identity, and now you’re feeling lost and overwhelmed in the process of self-discovery. Maybe you’ve been out, maybe you haven’t yet, maybe you’re still trying to get there. Gender-affirming therapy offers a safe space to be who you are as you are. I provide individual therapy for transgender, non-binary, gender non-conforming, and gender-questioning youth, adolescents, and adults in all stages of transition and identity formation.
If you are in the process of uncovering and exploring your gender, you may want a therapist with specialized training and knowledge who can better assist you in this sensitive and personal area of your life. Maybe you’ve tried therapy in the past, only to find that the experience failed to get the root of your distress, help you make sense of your experiences, and move you towards an integrated wholeness of self in gender. Every assumption under the sun has been made about you, and you’re tired of explaining all your realities to providers without the knowledge or competency to understand you. By working with a transgender therapist, you are being supported by not only a professional but also a community member who can hold space with inherent empathy and a non-assumptive stance.
I will walk alongside you in your journey of discovery, integration, and healing as you navigate the social, emotional, medical, relational, academic, and occupational barriers and hardships that you may face. You will be affirmed in your identity and experiences, you will be in compassionate and mutual space of depth understanding, you will be provided with resources to support your goals and needs, and you will be empowered to face the tough moments with self-love and self-grace. You are enough. You are worthy of belonging. It would be my honor to be part of your journey as you grow into your authentic self.
LGBTQIA+ Therapy
You’re tired of justifying who you are.
You’re afraid you’ll never love yourself.
You’re feeling lost and alone.
Though all people struggle with big questions of identity, relationship challenges, and fearful thinking, being queer in the world brings a unique plethora of hardships that are not often seen or understood by our cis-het counterparts. Society makes it hard enough as it is to feel comfortable and happy, but many of us grew up or still live with the narratives that our authentic selves are somehow unacceptable. This leaves so many feeling unloved and unworthy, struggling with self-esteem, unable to be vulnerable or intimate, and anxious about the future. Whether you’ve just come out or have been out for years, you’re still facing challenges you don’t know how you’ll overcome.
Even within the LGBTQIA+ community, there can be a lot of assumption and alienation. There’s all the prejudice and hate of the bigger world, but sometimes that hurt comes from the hurt people within community too. Labels can feel oppressive and limiting, and you may find yourself struggling with the pressure to identify or present in a particular way just to feel accepted. You might feel judged for the choices you’ve made when it comes to coming out, navigating family, building community, and living your truth. You’re looking for belonging and haven’t yet found it. You want a full life, and yet you feel so limited. Maybe these parts of your life are intimately tied to your sexual identity, maybe they aren’t, but you’re sick of explaining all the many complex and intersecting aspects of queer culture just to get to the things you actually came to therapy for.
When working with a queer therapist, you have the freedom to be as you are. Your experiences are honored. The diversity of your intimate partnerships is respected. You are accepted without judgement, without feeling othered. You will never be told you are wrong for being who you are, and you will never be subjected to conversion therapy. You will be treated with respect and dignity as the expert on your life. Working together with an in-community therapist of shared experience (who has lived experience as L, G, B, T, and Q!) can give you the extra perspective and insightful reflection to process your experiences and get to the root of your pain. Together, we can get right to the heart of your needs to build a better future, a workable reality, and more meaningful life.
MEDICAL TRANSITION SUPPORT AND GENDER AFFIRMING CARE LETTERS
You know what you need but can’t get the right help.
You feel overwhelmed by the healthcare system.
You don’t know how to start or where to go next.
Gender transition— the process of coming into a place of comfort and truth in one’s gender— is a deeply personal and totally unique experience. There is no one singular model of what transition should look like for any person of any identity, and all choices made in the process of transition are the right choices for the individual making them. While medical transition is not a requirement of validity in holding trans identity, it can be a life-changing decision and life-saving process. A central tenet of my practice is supporting individuals in making informed and empowered choices when it comes to their transition. In serving this mission, I am committed to providing access to gender-affirming care letters.
My experience encompasses writing effective letters of support for hormone replacement therapy (HRT), chest masculinization or feminization surgery (often referred to as “top surgery”), gender-affirming facial surgery (FFS and FMS), gender-affirming body contouring (liposuction, fat grafting, and other procedures), hysterectomy, and various forms of genital surgery (orchiectomy, vaginoplasty, metoidioplasty, phalloplasty, scrotectomy, and other procedures often referred to as “bottom surgery”).
I do not require those seeking a letter of support for medical transition to participate in ongoing therapy. I offer one-time letter-writing services which include information gathering for the purposes of letter-writing, including collaborative consultation regarding letter contents, a digital copy of the completed letter, and the mailing of a physical copy with wet-ink signatures if required. One-time sessions are offered at a sliding scale rate of $80 - $180. This fee covers a 50-minute session, the writing and signing of a letter support, and any future edits which may need to be made to that letter. I also offer short-term therapy specific to exploration and education surrounding medical options for gender-affirming care, and letter-writing can be a component of our work in ongoing long-term gender-affirming therapy.
Kink AND BDSM Therapy
You’re discovering something new about you.
You’re struggling with shame and self-judgement.
You’re fed up with explaining yourself to normies.
It can be challenging to talk about the most intimate parts of ourselves and our sexual experiences, especially when those interests have been deemed taboo. You may be discovering a new side of yourself and not know where to turn without feeling embarrassed. You may be struggling to negotiate a particular kink with a partner or even make sense of why you're into it. You might be stuck under the thumb of internalized shame, cultural expectations, or sexual anxiety. Maybe you're tired of having to exhaustingly explain your dynamic to someone who just doesn't get it. Maybe you want to go further and deeper with your play but don't know how. Or maybe you just don't have a place to talk through your curiosities when it comes to the sensual, erotic, and sexual. When working with a therapist who is knowledgeable about kink dynamics, BDSM terminology, and other aspects of alternative sexual practice, you enter into a space of acceptance and mutual understanding that is free of judgement and full of liberation.
Kink is more than just sex! It can itself be a medium through which the experiences of and relationships between identity, power, and society are explored in the bodily dimension. It can be connecting, potent, and relieving. Working through a framework of Risk-Aware Consensual Kink (RACK), we can address the topics of boundaries, safety, and autonomy as they show up in our intimate relationships to move toward a space of positive engagement. Our work can be in seeking supportive community, increasing self-understanding, fostering healthy relationships, processing kink experiences, learning safer kink practices, and broadening our horizons.