Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Healing begins when you feel safe enough to start.
I have forty years of experience listening carefully and sitting with what’s hard. Together, at your pace, we’ll find steadier ground — with curiosity, warmth, and no judgment.
“You don’t have to have the words yet. You just have to begin.”A collaborative, affirming space
A warm welcome
Sometimes the bravest thing is simply reaching out.
Whatever brought you here — a heaviness that won’t lift, a relationship that feels stuck, or a chapter of life that’s asking more of you than you expected — you don’t have to carry it alone.
Over four decades, I’ve sat with people through grief, trauma, and the quiet, ordinary struggles in between. What I’ve learned is that real change rarely comes from advice. It comes from being truly heard, in a space that feels safe enough to be honest.
I work collaboratively and without judgment. We go at your pace. And we stay curious together about what’s really going on underneath.
— Shirley
My approach
Steady, collaborative, and rooted in safety.
“My job isn’t to hand you answers. It’s to walk alongside you while you find your own — and to make sure you never feel alone in the process.”
A safe place to land
Before anything else, we establish trust. Healing only happens when your nervous system believes it’s safe to.
Curious, not clinical
No jargon, no labels you didn’t ask for. Just two people getting curious about your story together.
Growth at your pace
Like calm water finding its level, change has its own rhythm. We honor yours, never forcing it.
How I can help
Specialized, evidence-based care — offered gently.
Trauma Recovery
Gentle, trauma-informed therapy to help you process painful experiences and loosen their grip — safely, and at a pace you control.
Couples & Connection
Relational and attachment-based work for partners who want to feel heard, repair trust, and find their way back to each other.
Anxiety & Stress
Practical, compassionate tools for chronic stress, burnout, and the worry that keeps you up at night.
Grief & Life Transitions
Steady company through loss, caregiving, illness, and the big changes that reshape who we are.
Identity & Self-Worth
Affirming, LGBTQ+- and neurodivergent-friendly space to explore identity, self-esteem, boundaries, and belonging.
How we’ll work
Drawing on CBT, EMDR, mindfulness, strengths-based and person-centered approaches — matched to you, never one-size-fits-all.
Who I work with
You’re welcome here.
I work with individuals struggling with any of the following:
The practical details
Simple, and made to feel easy.
Virtual care
Sessions happen securely online, from wherever you feel most comfortable. Currently available to clients located in Oregon.
Sliding scale
Good therapy should be reachable. Sliding-scale spots are available — just ask.
Getting started
Send a message and we’ll set up a free, no-pressure consultation to see if we’re a good fit.
Take the first step
Let’s begin with a conversation.
No commitment, no pressure — just a chance to be heard and to see how it feels. I read every message personally.
Send a messageMy Video Course
Couples Communication 101
If I could hand people one thing to improve the communication in their relationships, it would be this course. This is a condensed version of all of the skills I’ve taught clients over the course of the last 40+ years.