a psychologist in Carlsbad

she/her

Stress is part of life. Yet there is a kind of stress that can flood us and threaten to undo what we’ve worked hard for. Therapy can help.

If pressures have been building up from every side, maybe it’s starting to feel like too much. You find yourself overwhelmed, irritable, distracted, and emotionally raw. This isn’t like you. Or maybe this is your normal and you’re realizing you want something different. You’re wondering, “What’s wrong with me?” “Why can’t I pull it together?” “I’m fooling everyone.” You may have found yourself shutting down, beating yourself up, and pushing others away. Despite your best efforts to push through, talk with others, and exercise self-care, difficult thoughts and feelings keep bubbling up.

Maybe you’re afraid of falling into a dark place, or maybe you’re already there.

And no wonder you’re scared. Things that matter are at stake—who you are, what you value, the relationships you cherish, your ability to be your best and achieve your goals. Maybe you’ve been sacrificing your health to compensate, or hiding your hurt because you’re not sure who will get it. You’re afraid of being selfish, burdening your family, being a disappointment, or failing those who rely on you. It’s exhausting and lonely.

You are worthy of a flourishing life that’s more than just survival mode.

The good news is there are reasons for feeling this way, and symptoms are the body’s way of telling us what’s really going on. It is possible to start making sense of the chaos and feel more in control of what has been so painful. With help, you can learn to listen to your body, understand and validate how you got here, gain insights and skills that naturally start to shift things, and effectively address what’s going on at the root—where long-lasting change happens.

I know how uncomfortable it can be to struggle. I know there is risk and energy involved in reaching out for help. I also know that working through pain with the support of a good therapist can bring healing, as well as the ability and confidence to face future obstacles. More than that, it can help us live more fully, deepening our capacity to love, grieve, act, and create in a world that’s full of both injustice and goodness, suffering and joy.

Whatever brings you to therapy, I look forward to connecting, discussing your situation, and helping you get the help that’s the best fit for you.

Get Started

Finding your way in seasons of change.

Sometimes we enter a season of change that we anticipated or choose: entering or returning to school, settling into a new career, a new relationship, a new community, new additions to your family, or a newly empty nest. Sometimes our lives are altered by suffering: a death or a loss, an unwanted move, a devastating diagnosis, the re-emergence of trauma, economic shifts, or shattering injustice. Transitions—even good ones—can be disorienting, if not devastating. They shake up the routines that used to ground us and challenge us to cope with new demands and mixed emotions. If you are in a season of change that has been difficult to navigate, you don’t have to go through it alone. I am committed to helping you make sense of what you are going through, regain energy and a sense of grounding, and find your way forward. I provide individual therapy and couples therapy.