Who I Work With

I work with individuals struggling with anxiety, depression, toxic perfectionism, issues of over control, major life transitions, or recovery from trauma or substance abuse. Although my clients come from diverse backgrounds, there are some groups I have specialized experience with: the LGBTQIA+ community and individuals recovering from traumatic religious experiences.

LGBTQIA+ Affirming therapy

I have a particular passion for working with the LGBTQIA+ community. I know firsthand the many challenges that LGBTQIA+ individuals face in finding competent care. Will this provider discriminate against me? Will they give me proper care, or will they dismiss my concerns? Will they understand my needs and experiences? Will they be well-meaning, but uninformed about my experiences?

Although Nashville has grown tremendously over the last several years, we still have a long way to go in terms of having enough competent providers to meet the needs of our lesbian, gay, bisexual, queer, or pansexual and transgender, non-binary, genderqueer, agender, or questioning populations. I am proud to be a member of the community, as well as a provider of counseling services to those who need it.

Survivors of Religious Trauma

I didn’t set out to specialize in recovery from religious trauma, but the lack of local secular providers with knowledge about these experiences led me down this path, as more and more clients sought me out on the basis of being a secular therapist. I have worked with individuals who’ve left all ranges of religions, from cults and isolationist religious sects to more mainstream religious organizations with which they no longer feel welcome or comfortable.

The experience of leaving a religion can be traumatic in and of itself - What do you believe? Who can you talk to? What is the meaning and purpose of life? Does any of that even matter? When you’ve spent a large portion of your life adhering to a specific belief system and then find yourself questioning it more and more, it can feel isolating, scary, or confusing.

You may also have experiences in your past that others don’t or can’t understand. Depending on your experience, you may have had a very different education than your peers or you may not have been exposed to things that were a typical part of your peers’ lives, like music, television, or technology. You may have experienced abuse, and you may have been blamed for causing it with your sins. You may carry deep shame and guilt as a result of these experiences. That can change - You can heal. I’m here to help. Even if I am not the right fit for you, or if I don’t have availability that works with your needs, I am happy to refer you to other experienced providers in the area.