About Me
I am a hetero, cis woman who uses she/her pronouns. Raised in Idaho within a bicultural family of Basque descent, I’ve had the wonderful opportunity to live, study, and work in the Basque Country during two separate chapters of my life.
My academic background includes a B.A. in English from Lewis & Clark College and a Master’s in Social Work from Portland State University. Before entering the mental health field more than two decades ago, I began my career as a classroom teacher and a university study abroad program administrator. Since becoming a therapist, I have served on community mental health, primary care, and Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP) teams. Today, I bring that breadth of experience to my private practice.
Rethinking Complex Trauma
Complex trauma has long been a core focus of my work. During my years as a mental health provider within a medical setting, I had a front-row seat to the Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study’s watershed findings. Again and again, I observed the profound impacts of sustained childhood stress on physical and mental health later in life.
Tragically, our healthcare system frequently silos physical and mental health treatment, prioritizing immediate symptom management over healing root trauma wounds. This broken approach often leaves individuals feeling re-traumatized by the very systems meant to support them.
In the hope that we might spark a shift toward a more comprehensively trauma-informed system of care, colleagues and I developed The Complex Trauma Care Pathway (CTCP). The CTCP pilot yielded statistically significant improvements across various complex trauma symptom domains and earned a nomination for Northwest Kaiser Permanente’s national Vohs Quality Award in 2020. You can read our clinical outcomes in The Permanente Journal's 2021 peer-reviewed article.
Philosophy & Personal Life
It is a true blessing to work in a field aligned with my deeply held values, strengths, and passions. I consider it an honor and a privilege to partner with clients within a private practice setting that is genuinely collaborative and trauma-informed.
Growth is a lifelong journey, and I am committed to staying curious and open-hearted. Outside of my practice, I find joy in spending time with family and friends, gardening, and playing the piano. I savor moments of beauty and connection, and I laugh on a daily basis.
