Services
Therapy For Religious Trauma
Therapy For LGBTQIA+ Individuals
Therapy For Artists and Creatives
Therapy for Religious Trauma
There is not enough prayer, journaling, or yoga for this…
You never thought that your church and your faith would fail you. It was always supposed to be a place of safety and refuge, your second family, your spiritual home. Up until this season, it provided you with purpose and meaning, as well as all the answers to life’s big questions like “What is my purpose? How should I live my life? What is morally right and wrong? What happens when I die?”
But now, things are complicated. Life is complicated. It no longer fits in the neat and tidy boxes that your religion provided for you. Your experiences have expanded your perspective, and you no longer align with your church’s teachings on a lot of things. Perhaps a loved one who was not “saved” died and it doesn’t seem right that a loving God would send them to hell.
Perhaps you or someone close to you is coming to terms with their sexual or gender identity and you can’t reconcile why the church condemns certain expressions of either; perhaps a church leader over-stepped their authority or abused their power.
Things no longer add up, and you can no longer pretend you aren’t seeing the cracks in the foundation.
This isn’t what you imagined…
You told yourself you that you would just keep praying, serving, and obeying God, and hoped that those actions would turn down the volume on the doubts, questions, and internal conflict about your religious beliefs and community. Unfortunately, they just kept getting louder and louder. You also told yourself that you just needed to have more faith (and perhaps heard that from others, too). My clients just want to shed the toxic messages and theologies they have internalized from their rigid religion so they can lead happy and health lives.
Most of my clients who have experienced religious harm start therapy because they are struggling to rebuild a sense of hope, purpose, and belonging. They are seeking help and support because they find themselves trapped in narratives like “I should have been more obedient to God; I’m selfish for leaving my religion; it’s possible I’m going to hell because I no longer align with the doctrines of my church.”
Therapy may be for you if:
Memories of the harm you experienced in religious contexts are beginning to surface and are negatively affecting your day to day life.
You feel grief related to losing your faith community.
Anger and resentment get activated when you think about unhelpful advice and guidance given to you by religious leaders.
You have lost your sense of meaning and purpose (i.e. – “I thought my career was supposed to be a pastor or a missionary, but now that I don’t align with the doctrine of my religion, don’t know what I’m supposed to do with my life…”).
You are struggling to know what you need and want, because your religion taught you to always put the needs and wants of others before your own.
You believe that you are inherently bad or sinful because that’s what your religion taught you.
Struggling to put the pieces back together…
My goal for my clients is to help them rebuild a life that feels authentic, connected, and full.
Religious trauma therapy is not:
Me telling you that you just need to pray, have more faith, and read your religious texts more.
Me telling you that you should just be an atheist
Me staring at you in silence for 50 minutes and charging you money for it.
Me only responding with “Mmm hmm” or “How does that make you feel?”
You getting all your existential questions answered and/or resolving years of religious harm in one session.
We will meet for your initial session to get a sense of if we are a good fit, what your needs are, and how I can help. I am energized by clients who ask the big questions and who are willing to dig in, do the inner work, and start rebuilding a life after religious trauma, leaving the church, and/or deconstructing one’s faith.
What we talk about and process in therapy is 100% up to you. Though I have expertise, I believe that ultimately you are the expert on you. In religious contexts, it is often taught that we should live how God wants us to live and feel how God wants us to feel. That is a very difficult context in which to be human. I will challenge you to access your own thoughts and feelings and to identify what you need and want. My role is to help you develop inner awareness, center yourself in your story, heal your relationship with yourself, and ultimately help you develop your own internal therapeutic voice.
It takes courage to seek help and to take the first steps toward change in pursuit of a happier and more fulfilling life. If you are ready to take that step, I’d be honored to support you through this part of your journey!
Therapy for LGBTQIA+ Individuals
If you can relate to any of the above, then you’ve come to the right place.
As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community, I know firsthand the challenges facing LGBTQIA+ clients. I have experience helping clients navigate family/friend/workplace issues, unsupportive environments/relationships (like religious communities), coming out, intimate partner relationship difficulties, etc. I provide a safe, open, and affirming environment for you to address the things you need to address, regardless of whether they are directly related to your sexual or gender identity or not.
If you or someone you know is seeking help from an LGBTQIA+ therapist, contact me today for a free consultation. I would be happy to speak with you about how I can help.
Do you live outside of the heteronormative-cisgender box?
Have you been to other supposed “LGBTQIA+ friendly” counselors who had no idea what you were talking about?
Could you use a safe space to process your feelings while navigating unique challenges?
Perhaps you are in the process of coming out and need support. Maybe you are experiencing internalized homophobia and are noticing how that is affecting your beliefs about yourself, your worth, and what you think you deserve. Maybe you have walked away from unaffirming faith communities and harmful religious beliefs, but are still thinking “WTAF was that and why does it still hurt so much?” Maybe you have had to navigate unsupportive family relationships who do not accept who you are. Perhaps you are growing weary of existing in a culture or society where your journey and/or your identity is not the norm. Or maybe you aren’t seeking therapy for any LGBTQIA+ specific issues per se, and instead are looking for a therapist because life is hard and you need someone to talk to – but you want a therapist who understands one of the cornerstone parts of your identity because they’ve had their own experience with living as a queer person in this world.
Therapy for Artists and Creatives
I’m a good fit for artists who are out there hustling to try to support themselves with their art and navigating the real life challenges of trying to be “successful” in their craft. I am also well versed in helping artists rebuild after having to make difficult career decisions away from a full time artistic career and navigate a new relationship with their art and creativity.
Regardless of where someone is in their creative or artistic journey, I believe that creative people being able to express themselves in an unencumbered way benefits the world.
With a decade plus in the music industry as a recording musician and songwriter, I understand the joys and challenges of being a creative person and what it is like to think and feel outside the box. I understand the spark and life that creating can bring, and that sometimes what we create in our art form expresses our inner experience better than words can. I also have lived experience with the hustle and subsequent exhaustion in the entertainment industry, the employment uncertainty, the pressure to succeed, the need to tolerate rejection and disappointment, and the identity crisis that is triggered when re-evaluating whether or not an artistic career is sustainable.
Whether you create for fun or personal fulfillment, or are a full time artist, or somewhere in between, I’d love to support you on your artistic journey. Contact me today for a free consultation.
“Why do I have impossibly high standards for myself and what I create?”
“I feel like I’m about to crumble under the pressure of trying to make it in the entertainment industry.”
“Why do I have trouble starting or finishing a creative project or idea?”
“Why do I so quickly criticize my own creative work?”
“My depression, anxiety, and self-doubt and are starting to become real obstacles to my creativity.”
Sound familiar? I can help.
I do great work with artists who are struggling with blockage or insecurities about their creativity. Perhaps you are struggling with perfectionism and find yourself hyper-critical of your abilities, creativity, and output. You are quick to judge yourself or your creativity as not enough, and when you experience a rejection (whether personally or professionally), it confirms all the worst things you were already thinking about yourself.