I am the owner and founding counselor of Nameshape Counseling and have been serving individuals and groups across queer identities in a LGBTQIA+ focused community mental health organization for the past four years. This includes–but is not limited to–work with transgender, cisgender, queer, lesbian, gay, bisexual, monogamous, and non-monogamous folks. I identify as queer and non-binary, living with chronic pain, being neuroqueer, and being a lifelong class straddler across socio-economic groups. My ancestry weaves together the lineages of various European peoples and cultures, the ᎠᏂᏴᏫᏯᎢ (Cherokee) people, and peoples from modern-day Turkey and Russia.

I believe that all behavior is rooted in an attempt to care for oneself and survive in a world that can often be challenging. This includes behaviors that might be considered healthy or maladaptive as well as those which may be viewed as strength or neurosis. Within this framework, even behaviors and emotions that may be associated with fear and shame hold some wisdom. Accessing that wisdom can be challenging and dysregulating without support. Within sessions, I work to facilitate clients’ ability to contact the wisdom within these difficult and often distressing experiences.

My approach to counseling considers a myriad of intersecting factors that lead to various mental health concerns. This includes the complexities of identity, cultural norms, social structures, family systems, and environmental crises which can all detract from or support total wellness. Holding this type of intersectional and expansive approach also means that I tend to favor harm reduction strategies over abstinence. Through this approach clients can access the root of their concerns rather than simply treating symptoms. It is my hope to increase clients’ sense of agency in their lives while reconnecting them not only to themselves, but the environment, people, and other beings around them. This work is also firmly situated in the practices of healing justice within a world affected by racism, sexism, heterosexism, ableism, xenophobia, and other forms of institutional, ideological, interpersonal, and internal violence. I also hold the view that trauma-informed care should be foundational to any therapeutic work.

My draw towards becoming a mental health counselor is rooted in my own experiences and struggles with persistent depression, grief, and loss. I graduated with a MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling: Contemplative Psychotherapy & Buddhist Psychology at Naropa University in Boulder, CO in 2023. Prior to that, I completed a BA in Contemplative Psychology (Health & Healing), a BA in Yoga Studies, and a 1000-hour Yoga Teacher Training through Naropa University in 2020. I have been studying Buddhist, Taoist, and yogic traditions for over two decades after first being exposed to meditation in 2001. I work with and support clients across many faiths and beliefs and offer both secular and spiritual support to clients depending on their worldview.

In my free time, I am often found writing, painting, listening to records, reading, practicing tai chi and yoga, cooking, baking, and gaming (in all its forms).