Philosophy and Approach

My therapeutic approach is rooted in contextual family therapy. Informed by Boszormenyi-Nagy’s ideas of contextual therapy, I believe healthy humans are those who have and give justice in their relationships. When we seek to understand how we are impacting those around us and how they are impacting us, we can reach for healthier ways of interacting and imagine more just ways of being in relationship with others and with ourselves.

I am interested in working with individuals, couples, families, and groups to help build supportive, empathetic relationships. As a family therapist, I am interested in working with clients to understand what happened in the past and what work is needed in the present to foster growth and change. Central to my beliefs is the idea that relational justice extends beyond a two-person relationship to broader family and societal levels. This systemic lens is present even when I’m working with individuals.

My lived experiences as an immigrant woman of color have given me a framework for understanding how social identity and other cultural factors may impact clients. My identities help me connect with others on the bridge of shared experiences, yet I hold them as one way to exist in the world, not as a blueprint for all. As such, I integrate a Socio-Emotional Relationship Therapy perspective to help clients explore emotions, societal contexts, and power dynamics. Exploring these perspectives can help clients build resiliency and hope and imagine more just realities for themselves, their families, and their communities.

Formal Education and Training

I am currently pursuing a master’s degree in Marriage, Couples, and Family Therapy from Lewis and Clark University in Portland, OR. Major coursework includes Family Development: Cross-Cultural Perspectives, Applied Child and Adolescent Development, Sex Therapy, and Diagnosis of Mental and Emotional Disorders.