ABOUT

In session, I’m collaborative and practical. We focus on what’s working—leveraging your strengths and skills to navigate what’s hard.
I work best with people who haven’t loved therapy in the past—or who aren’t sure a therapist will actually get where they’re coming from.
I also help people access gender-affirming care, honest therapy, and real community. If someone you care about needs support, reach out.

If you’re trying to reach me and I haven’t responded, don’t take the silence personally—take it as a nudge to try again. I’m in the work, but I’m not unreachable. I’m not too busy for you. Keep knocking.

Specialties

ADHD (especially late-diagnosed, high-masking folks)
Trauma & PTSD (including systemic + identity-based trauma)
Trans & Nonbinary Care
Gender-Affirming Letters (WPATH-aligned, gatekeeping-free)

Issues

Anxiety that doesn’t respond to current coping strategies
Autism in a world built for capitol farming
Self-harm as communication, not just symptom
Identity friction, gender grief
Stress from looking too long into the abyss
Feeling too much, too loud, too fast

You don’t need the news to tell you something’s shifting. You feel it in your body, your relationships, your rest. This space is for making sense of that. For building capacity. For staying with what’s still yours to hold.
– Trauma-Informed Therapy
– Internal Family Systems (IFS) / Parts Work
– Narrative Therapy
– Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
– Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)
– Somatic Awareness & Regulation
– Queer- and Trans-Affirming Therapy
– Systems & Identity-Based Approaches
– WPATH Letter Assessment (without gatekeeping)

A word to my trans fam

The state fears trans people—not just for who they are, but for what they represent: a radical rejection of imposed norms. Trans existence proves the world can be different, and that terrifies those in power.
That’s why they push fear, hoping to paralyze us. But fear isn’t the end—it’s the beginning. When we process fear instead of letting it consume us, we make room for what comes next: the strength of anger. In our sessions, we transform that anger into power using liberation-centered therapy that builds strength, direct action that disrupts oppression, and queer joy that refuses to be erased.
We are not passive recipients of oppression; we are architects of a world beyond it. Solidarity.

WHAT'S ACTUALLY HAPPENING IN SESSION:

A NOTE FOR PARENTS

Your child might not come home from therapy talking about "deep stuff." They might say they just played a video game or talked about random things. And if you're wondering, "Is this doing anything?" — you're not alone.

Here's what's actually happening beneath the surface:

1. This is Relational Work. Therapy for kids isn’t just about talking. It’s about building trust with an adult who doesn’t punish, push, or pretend. That trust becomes the foundation for real healing. If your child feels safe enough to just "hang out" with me, that’s not a waste of time. That’s progress.

2. The Relationship Is the Therapy. A lot of what I’m doing is modeling what it feels like to be around someone who’s calm, consistent, and curious. That experience matters more than any worksheet. It helps your child's nervous system begin to feel what safety, attunement, and respect actually feel like in real time.

3. Play is the Language. Kids process big feelings through movement, metaphor, and play. Games and conversation aren't distractions—they're doorways. Every interaction is a chance for me to track patterns, test regulation, and build repair. If a child opens up while playing, it’s not accidental. It’s because they feel safe.

4. We Move at the Speed of Trust. I don’t push disclosure or force vulnerability. That’s not therapeutic, it’s retraumatizing. If your child hasn’t "opened up" yet, it doesn’t mean they’re stuck. It means we’re still in the trust-building phase—which is essential to everything that comes next.

5. Not All Progress Looks Loud. Progress sometimes looks like a child smiling for the first time in weeks. Or asking if I’ll be there next time. Or relaxing their shoulders mid-game. These shifts are real. They tell me your child’s system is starting to believe that maybe, just maybe, they're safe.

A special tribute to the best dog I have ever gotten to know

Emma, the most amazing comrade

2017-July 11 2025

Waterloo march and rally to stand with our community and defend LGBTQ+ rights - March 8, 2023

PROTECTING TRANS KIDS IS OUR ETHICAL RESPONSIBILITY

September 18th 2023, Iowa started forcing trans and non-binary youth to de-transition. This policy goes against the entire spirit of social work. It is not ok.