Women's Health, Perimenopause & Menopause
Let's talk about menopause. Seriously. We are now potentially living more than 1/3 of our lives in a post menopausal state, an era of life that American culture has traditionally neither revered nor celebrated. This period in life possesses challenges, existential and material, that can have a grave and compounding impact not only on a woman’s mental health but her financial security and quality of life. Yet for the majority of the last 150 years, menopause, not unlike women’s health more broadly, has remained mired in misinformation, contradictory medical advice, or simply silence. Menopause is as much a social construction in constant flux as the very notion of what it means to be a woman, but it is simultaneously as individual an experience as the woman transiting it. The more we talk openly about menopause, the more we can de-stigmatize this natural process and strengthen community connection. In doing so, we give women in younger generations the information they need in order to know what is happening within their bodies before it begins. Knowledge is power!
Moving from perimenopause, which can begin as early as our late thirties, into menopause is a profound biopsychosocial transition that unfolds not just in our bodies, but in relationships, families, workplaces, cultures, and the socio-political systems that have often dismissed, pathologized, or silenced women’s experiences. I offer therapy for perimenopause, menopause, and women’s health concerns that honors the full complexity of this life stage: hormone changes, mood fluctuations, urogenital changes (hello, lube!), brain fog, hot flashes, sleep disruption, sexuality and libido (again, lube!), body image, grief, relief, identity, care-giving, partnership, aging, and the ongoing work of getting to know the human you are always becoming. Together we'll explore your changing perspectives, celebrate the positives (because, yes, there can be good things in menopause), challenge internalized shame, and listen carefully to what you need for both comfort and emotional health. You can feel healthy, grounded, empowered, and embodied in menopause (and even have great sex). Seriously.
Let's talk about sex: doing it, not doing it, enjoying it, confusion around it, wanting it, afraid of it, curious about it, traumatized by it, loving it, uncomfortable with it, ashamed of it, frustrated with it, obsessed with it. Sex is one of the most essential human experiences, but it can be so much more than just a physical act. Sex can be tied to emotional well-being, self-esteem, self-worth, or relational health. Sex can be affected by medication, hormonal changes, stress, injury, illness, pregnancy and birth, mental health, relational conflict, trauma, or simply age. If your sexual experiences leave you feeling uncertain, insecure, dissatisfied, distressed, anxious or depressed, there's a place for you to safely and comfortably explore the emotional and psychological aspects of intimacy.
Sexual Health & Intimacy
I see clients who are experiencing low libido, changes in arousal, mismatched drive with their partners, pain with intercourse, performance anxiety, erectile dysfunction, sexual avoidance, infidelity, anorgasmia, confusion around porn use, and those who are healing from past sexual violence, assault, and abuse. I also see clients who want to expand their sexual palate, explore their newly discovered kinks, understand their sexual drive and preferences, learn how to communicate more openly with their sexual partners, or discover what sex means after gender transition. All identities are welcome here. This is a safe and shame free space to talk about ALL the things that make you tick and hum, at your own pace, in order to feel healthy and truly at ease.
Identity Development & Transformation
Life is a a never ending process of becoming. We live a thousand different lives in this one, precious life, but the better we know ourselves, the stronger our core sense of identity, and the more flexible we are in the world as we change over time, the more resilient we can be in the face of inevitable challenges, the more honest we show up to others. Perhaps you are questioning old roles, reimagining your life, and learning to trust the truth of who you are. Perhaps you are discovering your true gender identity or sexuality. Do you know what your values, beliefs, and innate feelings are? Identity does not develop in isolation; it is shaped by relationships, family systems, culture, history, power, loss, longing, and survival. Therapy can offer a compassionate space to explore these layers, grieve what no longer fits, and move toward a life that feels more honest, authentic, and embodied. I welcome the exploration of what's both terrifying and exciting!
Relational Conflict
Relationships shape us, challenge us, wound us, and help us heal, but very few of us learn foundational rupture and repair. I work with people navigating interpersonal conflict, attachment wounds, relational trauma, communication patterns, emotional disconnection or avoidance, family strain, friendship splits, dating struggles, divorce, and the lingering impact of harmful relationships. Therapy can offer a space to understand the patterns you keep finding yourself in (over and over and over again), clarify your needs and boundaries, and explore how your history, nervous system, identities, and social context shape the way you relate to others. Together, we can work toward relationships that feel honest and authentic, mutually respectful, and deeply gratifying.
Life Transitions & Adustment
Life transitions often bring the unexpected. Divorce, graduations, marriage, becoming a parent, career changes, aging, relocation, illness or the shifting demands in different life stages can bring both possibility and disorientation. Even when change is your choice, positive, and welcomed, along with joy and happiness, you may also feel grief, uncertainty, anxiety (confusing, right?). Transitions can make you question who you are and what you want your life to look like. Therapy can offer a steady, compassionate place to sort through what is changing, what still matters to you, what is no longer relevant to your life, and how to move forward with greater clarity, courage, and trust in your choices and direction.
LBGTQIA+ Allied & Affirming Therapy
I offer LGBTQIA+ affirming therapy grounded in feminist, relational-cutural, and social justice values. In my practice, your identity, relationships, body, sexuality, gender, family structure, and lived experience are met with respect, curiosity, and care. You will not be pathologized, minimized, or treated as a problem to be solved. Together, we can explore identity development, relationships, family and cultural dynamics, religious or personal trauma, grief, shame, sex, love, intimacy, physicality, joy, belonging, embodiment, and the impact of navigating systems that may not have fully seen, acknowledged, or included you. You get to be truly you here. All experience, emotions, and positionalities are welcome and validated here in service of healing, growth, and community. Come as you are.
Loss & Grief
Loss is universally human, but how we grieve is profoundly personal and may not look anything at all like it does for anyone else. Grief also does not necessarily reflect a death, but a profound loss of absolutely anything. You may be grieving the death of a primary partner or someone you love, the loss of a beloved pet, the end of a relationship or marriage, a former version of your body, family, career, identity, home, health, faith, or future you imagined for yourself. Loss can bring sadness, anger, numbness, confusion, guilt, relief, longing, disorientation, overwhelm, or the sense that the world has simply stopped. You may be feeling depressed or anxious. There is no one way to experience loss and there is no one way to grieve that loss. There is no time frame and no linear trajectory of "stages," no matter how quickly society wants you to "get over it." Show up as you are and you will be met with compassion and care. I offer a gentle space to hold and process whatever you are grieving and navigate the complexities of bereavement. There is a path through suffering into eventual meaning making, acceptance, and peace.
Integrated Mental Health Care
Emotional wellbeing is a profound and essential part of overall health. Our thoughts, feelings, relationships, nervous systems, bodies, histories, identities, and environments are deeply interconnected, and mental health care often works best when it is understood as just one part of a larger picture of whole-person healthcare (ie. integrated health care). Counseling can dovetail beautifully with the care you may already receive from primary care physicians, gynecologists, psychiatrists, acupuncturists, massage therapists, yoga instructors, bodyworkers, spiritual care providers, or other trusted professionals who support your well-being. With your consent, therapy can help connect the emotional, relational, physical, and contextual pieces of your life to help you feel more grounded, functional, connected, embodied, healthy, and whole.
