a philosophy of practice…

I have a deep appreciation for client autonomy and choice. I believe autonomy is at the heart of empowerment. I value understanding people’s lived experiences and approaching them with cultural humility. I believe a client knows themselves best and that, through reflection, inquiry, and curiosity, we can further illuminate their wishes, values, and aims. 

My work is grounded in a long-standing interdisciplinary practice, including in the arts, and I seek to expand existential and spiritually integrated methods to promote personal and collective resilience. I am interested in the interconnectedness of people, communities, and the natural world, and how subtle shifts in daily living can create meaningful change. 

As a practitioner, I hope to alleviate suffering through psychoeducation, skill development, emotional regulation, inner exploration, and self-acceptance. I believe people are whole and change is always possible, there is rarely one right way, and experimentation and play are part of the process.

I view maladaptive coping strategies and addiction as a multifaceted response that cannot be understood apart from attachment, relationships, trauma, biology, meaning-making, and social context. I strive to decenter pathology and understand addiction as an adaptation shaped by lived experience rather than as a defining characteristic. While addiction can be destructive, I believe recovery is strengthened by restoring connection, cultivating agency, and finding new tools to help clients develop lives that feel meaningful and worth living. 

I appreciate Resma Menakem’s framing that trauma can become embedded not only in individuals but also in families, communities, and social systems. When decontextualized, that trauma can look like a personality trait in individuals, a family norm in families, and, over time in communities and societies, can manifest as what looks like culture (Menakem, 2017). This reminds me to understand addiction within broader relational and historical contexts rather than viewing it solely as an individual problem. 

Theoretical Orientation

When I think about working with people navigating addiction and mental, emotional, and behavioral wellness, theories I most resonate with are humanistic, existential, constructivist, and person-centered. Attachment theory has also become crucial in my understanding of addiction and psychological well-being, as it emphasizes the role of relationships, connection, and emotional regulation in both suffering and recovery. A humanistic, person-centered approach emphasizes that people possess inherent worth and the potential for change beyond diagnoses. In an existential frame, addiction, anxiety, and other issues often intersect with meaning, freedom, suffering, and responsibility. This perspective reminds me that challenges are a natural aspect of being human, and even the freedom to choose can feel burdensome at times. A constructivist narrative orientation focuses on how people can reconstruct identities beyond addiction; psychotherapy itself can be viewed as narrative reconstruction (Neimeyer, 1993).

Underneath these, I have a deep interest in archetypal and depth-oriented perspectives. I like to incorporate imagination, dreams, symbolism, imagery, arts, and other expressionistic practices into my work, including play, music, and movement. Cinematherapy and other modes of storytelling are also valuable. These approaches appeal to me because they invite creative participation with meaning-making, honoring multiple pathways for self-understanding.  

 Professional Values

In my work with clients I value pluralism, collaboration, humility, client autonomy and confidentiality, and trust in each person’s ability to grow and change. Pluralism reminds me there may be multiple solutions, that several things can be true at the same time, and that what is adaptive for one may be different for another. Being present with and curious about clients’ experiences, I strive to inhabit a stance of beginner’s mind. Cultural humility is also deeply important to me, as is being nonjudgmental and having unconditional positive regard. 

In practice, I hope to cultivate a therapeutic relationship grounded in curiosity, collaboration, presence, and respect. I strive to meet clients where they are, listening with openness and inviting exploration. I enjoy asking questions that help clients clarify their values, recognize their strengths, and explore new ways of understanding themselves while remaining attentive to the stories they tell about their lives. Depending on a client’s needs, I may draw on psychoeducation, mindfulness, expressive practices, or more structured interventions, but I trust that clients possess an inherent capacity for growth and that meaningful change often emerges through relationship, reflection, and experimentation. My role is to accompany clients as they discover what feels authentic and life-giving for them. 

Preferred Modalities 

Treatment modalities I feel most aligned with include person-centered narrative therapy, mindfulness-based approaches, and expressive, arts-based, or symbolism oriented frameworks. Trauma-informed and trauma-focused treatment methods like written exposure therapy, as well as emotionally-focused and somatic or sensate approaches are important in my work. I value harm-reduction and medication-assisted treatment. Because person-centered narrative therapy is collaborative and highly relational, it empowers individuals toward greater awareness about the stories they construct about their lives and invites them to proactive engagement. The philosophical roots underpinning narrative therapy—social constructionism, post-structuralism, and feminist thought—feel especially valuable and timely. I especially resonate with Neimeyer’s description of constructivist therapy as “more developmental than symptom oriented, more process oriented than content focused, and more reflective than psychoeducational” (2010). 

Conclusion

My hope is to create a therapeutic relationship where clients feel respected, understood, and empowered to explore new possibilities for healing. Whether working with addiction, trauma, grief, or life transitions, I aspire to integrate evidence-based practice with creativity, curiosity, and deep respect for each person’s unique story and the mystery of life. Recovery to me is the rebuilding of connection—to oneself, to others, to purpose, and to community.

References

Menakem, R. (2017). My grandmother's hands: Racialized trauma and the pathway to mending our hearts and bodies. Central Recovery Press. 

Neimeyer, R. A. (1993). An appraisal of constructivist psychotherapies. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 61(2), 221–234. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-006X.61.2.221 

Neimeyer, R. A. (2010). Constructivism in psychotherapy: Part I, II [Video]. Internal Family Systems Portugal. https://internalfamilysystems.pt/node/169