About Me

I’m a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. I believe most people who come to therapy aren’t broken. They’re stuck. Stuck in anxiety. Stuck in recurring fights with a romantic partner. Stuck in grief, depression, self-doubt, or in the aftermath of a betrayal or life transition. 

Sometimes we just get stuck in an old story about ourselves that’s no longer true.

My job is to help you get unstuck and take the next step toward the life you want.

I’m not a passive therapist. I ask real questions, share what I notice, and help you access your wisdom. I suggest practices and small experiments you can try between sessions. I want you to leave feeling heard, feeling like you understand yourself better, and feeling like our work together is practical and applicable to real life.

About half of my practice is made up of individual clients and half is couples work. When  working with individuals, I help clients navigate life transitions, grief, depression, trauma, and anxiety. When working with a couple, I help partners break cycles of conflict, rebuild closeness, and recover from betrayal. I also work with adult family members (parents and grown children, siblings) who want to repair relationships that have been wounded or strained over time.

I conduct all sessions over a secure video platform.

Here are a few theories and ideas that play an important role in how I work with clients:

• Systems Theory. We all exist in relational systems. Our family of origin is a relational system. Romantic partners and the families we create as adults are also relational systems. These systems have their own unique rules, roles, and patterns. Some patterns are healthy and some are destructive. When we see and understand those patterns, we can change, grow, and build the relationships we want.
• Attachment Theory. Our most important relationships are meant to be bonds—attachments that help us feel safe, special, understood, and loved. But relationships aren’t perfect. When our sense of connection to an important person is challenged, we have predictable ways of reacting. If we can understand our response to attachment challenges, we can heal old wounds, communicate our needs, and build healthy relationships. 
• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Sometimes we need a real-time look at our thoughts (our cognitions), the feelings they produce, and how we act in response (our behavior). When we see our thoughts, feelings, and responses clearly, we can modify our thoughts, feelings, and behavior with specific practices. 
• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). Acceptance and Commitment Therapy takes the here-and-now focus of CBT and adds two elements: a focus on changing the way we relate to our thoughts and feelings and a commitment to living into our unique values and priorities. 
• Parts Frameworks. Thinking in “parts” is a useful tool for understanding ourselves, especially when we face conflicting or confusing desires, emotions, or impulses. In session, we break these internal conflicts into individual parts, try to listen to and understand those parts, and then decide how to lead and guide them.

Before becoming a therapist, I earned a Master of Divinity. Questions of purpose, meaning, and spirituality are still close to my heart. I never force conversations about spirituality, religion, purpose, or faith. Instead, I will follow your lead and welcome any exploring you want to do. My practice is open and affirming of clients from all backgrounds, faiths, worldviews, sexual orientations, gender identities. I want you to have a safe, accepting, and supportive therapy experience. 

• Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT)
• MA in Marriage and Family Therapy
• M.Div.
• MBA
• Licensed in Washington, Oregon, California, Colorado, Virginia, and Indiana

I’m also the author of Forgotten Twin: Faith, Trauma, and the Things We Can’t Repair, a memoir about my relationship with my twin brother, grief, and what healing looks like when things can’t be fixed. 

In addition to being a therapist and author, I’m a husband and a father. In my spare time, I enjoy adventures with my family, long hikes, short runs, good conversations, and just about any cup of coffee. 

Your first 50-minute session is free.  Click the link below to contact me or schedule an appointment using my online self-scheduling tool.