social justice statement:

I believe in liberation for all marginalized groups and I also understand that there may be barriers to being your full self in certain spaces in order to keep yourself safe. I hope to create an environment that embodies intersectionality, sex positivity, gender affirming care, disability justice, and anti-racism. However, I fully acknowledge that this is an ongoing, imperfect process that I have to actively work at. I hold many privileged identities (white, cisgender, thin, formally educated) and I understand that these identities impact how I show up and the level of comfort (or discomfort) others experience in my presence. While I am dedicated to continuously learning about and pushing back on systemic and interpersonal oppression in all its forms, I also recognize the ways in which I participate in and perpetuate harmful practices and work to undo the ways white supremacy shows up within myself and in my life. Talking about these systems is important, and actively dismantling them is imperative.

I work to continuously educate myself and pay for teachings by queer, Black, and Indigenous activists which guide me in an out of the therapy room. You shouldn’t have to educate your therapist about your marginalized identities or defend your experience. I strive to remain humble about what I don’t know and am always happy to learn more outside of session to better understand nuanced cultural contexts in addition to learning about your unique lived experiences during sessions. If there is an important book/podcast episode/account/etc that you feel will better help me understand your experience, I’m happy to engage with that material. I seek to approach all interactions with cultural humility and sensitivity and am dedicated to engaging in a repair process when I cause harm if that is desired by the person I have harmed.

There is a very real history (and current reality) of the mental health field actively causing harm to vulnerable and already marginalized individuals. There is violence in the coercion, involuntary institutionalization, and control that clinicians have perpetuated and directly assert. While I cannot distance myself from the harm this field has caused, I intentionally implement anti-carceral approaches to this work to minimize harm in any way I can.