― Leonardo da Vinci

INDIVIDUAL THERAPY

I offer NARM-informed psychotherapy for adolescents and adults who are experiencing:

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• Ongoing patterns of disconnection from themselves, their bodies, or others

• Difficulties with trust, closeness, or feeling at ease in relationships

• Cycles of isolation, people-pleasing, withdrawal, or self-protection

• Perfectionism, shame, or a harsh inner critic

• Nervous system overwhelm, chronic anxiety, shutdown, or emotional numbness

• Challenges with boundaries, authenticity, or knowing what you want or need

• A sense of feeling "stuck," even after insight, reflection, or previous therapy

My approach is relational, body-aware, and informed by multiple frameworks including the NeuroAffective Relational Model (NARM). Rather than focusing on what is "wrong," we explore how your ways of coping and relating developed in response to your life experiences, relationships, and broader social and cultural contexts. These patterns are understood as intelligent adaptations that once helped you navigate your world.

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Our work centers on what is alive in the present moment—how experiences show up in your body, emotions, relationships, and sense of self now. Together, we support greater regulation, choice, and agency, creating space for more ease, connection, and authentic aliveness at a pace that feels respectful and sustainable.

When clinically helpful, I draw flexibly from additional relational and trauma-informed approaches, including supportive therapy, Focusing-Oriented Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems, EMDR, EFT tapping, and others, always guided by your present-moment experience and by what best supports connection, dignity, and integration.

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I offer both short-term, focused work (4–6 sessions) and longer-term therapy for exploring longstanding relational patterns, depending on your needs, goals, and life circumstances.

FAMILY & COUPLES COUNSELING

I am a bilingual (English/Spanish), culturally responsive, trauma-informed family and couples therapist. My work is grounded in a NARM-informed relational approach, which shapes how I understand nervous system responses, protective strategies, and the core needs beneath relational conflict.

In my work with families and couples, I also draw from a NARM-informed perspective. This means we pay attention not only to communication patterns, but also to how each person’s survival strategies, nervous system, and longings for connection show up in the relationship. We work toward more honesty, less shame and blame, and a greater sense of choice and dignity for everyone involved.  This perspective supports couples in developing greater awareness, compassion, and choice in how they relate to one another.

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I draw from Bowen Family Systems as  organizing frameworks, integrating them thoughtfully to support differentiation, emotional attunement, and repair. The work focuses on slowing down reactivity, increasing clarity, and fostering more authentic connection. I am certified in Prepare/Enrich and offer premarital counseling, with particular attention to supporting young BIPOC couples as they prepare for marriage.

I also offer psychoeducational classes and therapeutic work around family history, genograms, and multigenerational patterns, approached in a culturally sensitive and non-pathologizing way.

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Recommended Reading on Relationships & Emotional Connection

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These books approach relationships from different therapeutic perspectives. I encourage you to explore the eBook versions (Kindle, Audible, or library eBooks are all fine) and notice which voice, language, and framework resonates most with you. There is no “right” approach—only what feels most supportive and meaningful for you.

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• Sue Johnson, Hold Me Tight
  https://www.amazon.com/Hold-Me-Tight-Conversations-Lifetime/dp/031611300X

• John Gottman, The Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work
  https://www.amazon.com/Seven-Principles-Making-Marriage-Work/dp/0553447718

• Harville Hendrix, Getting the Love You Want
  https://www.amazon.com/Getting-Love-You-Want-Couples/dp/0805087001

• Richard C. Schwartz, PhD, You Are the One You’ve Been Waiting For
  https://www.amazon.com/You-Are-One-Youve-Waiting/dp/1604070221

CREATIVE/EXPRESSIVE ARTS

In some sessions, I may invite creative or expressive practices—such as reflective writing, visual journaling, collage, or dream exploration—as ways to support present-moment awareness and connection. These practices are not about artistic skill or interpretation, but about noticing internal experience, tracking patterns of connection and disconnection, and supporting your capacity for choice and self-understanding.