I have over twenty years of experience in the healing arts, working with renowned therapists, spiritual teachers, artists, academics, and medicine people from around the world, and helping clients heal and become empowered.
I believe your thoughts and feelings are connected to your physical health, your relationships, and even your spiritual life. I will guide you in taking into consideration all five areas (mental, emotional, physical, relational, and spiritual) to actualize your authentic, creative, effective, and loving self.
I work across several therapeutic modalities, including:
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)
Attachment-based Therapy for Relationships
Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Nonviolent Communication (NVC)
My journey as a therapist began by overcoming my own trauma and developing my resilience and empowerment as a Two-Spirit, queer, mixed-race Native American who grew up on the Osage reservation of Oklahoma as an enrolled member of the tribe. In addition to a depth of personal work in therapy, I have found healing for over 20 years in plant spirit medicine healing and integration work. I have been on the advisory council on diversity for the Multidisciplinary Association of Psychedelic Studies (MAPS), and am trained in MDMA-assisted psychotherapy for PTSD for FDA DEA approved research studies.
I have studied and taught Nonviolent Communication for over 20 years, and am a graduate of the North American Nonviolent Communication Leadership Program. Another major life enhancement that helps me attune to clients is the formal study of meditation and Advaita Vedanta for ten years in Boulder, Colorado and Berkeley, California, which led to a period of residential study at Arsha Vidya Pitham in Rishikesh, India.
Before becoming a psychotherapist, I completed a Bachelor of Science in Nursing at the University of Oklahoma, and have been a Registered Nurse for 26 years, with specializations in ICU, emergency room, and home health nursing. I was a first responder at the Oklahoma City bombing in 1995. This work and life experience deepened my understanding of trauma and the treatment of PTSD for first responders. My medical knowledge also informs my approach to the physical and nervous system components of holistic well-being.
I hold a Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology from John F. Kennedy University in Berkeley, California, and am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the states of California (LMFT #92335), Oregon (LMFT #T1416), and Oklahoma LMFT #11529). I completed my training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) at the Native American Health Center of San Francisco, and my training in Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy at the Indian Country Child Trauma Center at the University of Oklahoma.
I regularly give interviews about Two-Spirit identity and health; you can read an example here. I am also a critically acclaimed songwriter, who writes about overcoming hardship through compassion, empathy, community, heritage, humor, and connection to nature. You can find more information about my most recent music project here.