A lot of therapy starts with translation - explaining your relationships, your worldview, your work, your body, your community, before you can get to the actual work of therapy. That can be exhausting. I love working with people whose lives don't follow the default script: organizers and helping professionals, people in poly and kink relationships, queer and trans folks, those coming out of fundamentalist religions, people who've chosen to live in community.

Most therapy fits one of two patterns: the therapist is kind and supportive, but isn't much more than that, or the therapist puts you in a diagnostic box and the entire therapy is oriented around that, not you.  When working with me, people describe it differently - the work is intentional.  

I bring careful thought and analysis to every level of the therapy process: the relational and power dynamics that shape our communication, the specifics of what actually matters to you rather than the generic assumption that "feeling better" will get you to a rich and meaningful life, and an approach that takes into account the nuance of who you are and the very complex world we live in.  

To help parse the complexity, I use Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), an evidence-based approach with several decades of research behind it - less about arguing with your thoughts, more about getting clear on what you want your life to be about and building the flexibility to move that way. Alongside it, I practice enacted consent-based care: we won't work on something unless we've first discussed whether it's worth your time and effort, and gone over any risks or discomfort that might come with it. My goal in therapy isn't to make you more normal. It's to help you live more fully and effectively as who you already are.

If you'd like to figure out whether I'd be a good fit for the work you're looking to do, let me know and we can set up a quick phone call.