I am collaborative, curious, and deeply invested in the evidence-based therapy approach. That means that I integrate the best possible research, my clinical expertise, and client preferences to provide the most effective possible treatment. Client preferences are always paramount, meaning I provide the foundation and environment clients need to feel comfortable addressing their difficulties. Ultimately, however, we are navigating treatment together as partners. I'll never impose treatment upon a person, and my highest priority is ensuring transparent communication as we work to understand what it is that needs attention right now and what we can do together to help.

I am someone who people often open up to naturally, and have been from an early age. It has been a privilege in helping friends navigate and repair their conflicts with each other. It has also meant that, professionally, I have been able to be part of the healing process for people who have had painful past relationships, including with men. That intangible something also helped encourage me to learn the skills to be able to help when these bonds start to form.

I am magnetically attracted to the outdoors. I grew up in the Midwest, around lakes, but it is hiking in the mountains that pulled me West. There's something about the intense mid-hike regret and choice-questioning that makes the summit (or even a nice overlook) totally cathartic. I also love board games and have to check my impulses to buy every one that sparks my interest.

I meditate. Not everyday, but I can just feel when my body and mind need it. I'll set an alarm for 10 minutes and try to pay attention to my breath. My mind wanders, and often, I'm not able to notice it. But even if I notice my mind wandering once during that 10 minutes, the opportunity to step away feels restorative and fulfilling.

I have an Australian cattle dog named Olive. She's a herding dog, so her energy demands can be insatiable, particularly as a puppy. My wife and I adopted her 2 weeks after we got married, and we didn't know that our landlord was having our house re-roofed that first week we had her. It meant constant noise, plenty of sharp objects in the yard for Olive to find, and enough agitation to go around. I decided to make an obstacle course for 8-week-old Olive, out of discarded roof scraps and other backyard stuff, and the bonding experience (and physical effort) of figuring out how to communicate through it together helped the next several months of sleep deprivation slightly more bearable.