Frequently Asked Questions

You might understand exactly why you respond the way you do, recognize patterns in your relationships, or know where certain beliefs about yourself came from. And yet, when something difficult happens, you find yourself responding in the same familiar ways.

That's because understanding a pattern isn't always the same as having a different experience.

Many of our responses developed for good reasons. They helped us navigate relationships, manage overwhelming experiences, or protect ourselves in situations where we had limited choices. Even when our circumstances change, those responses can continue to feel necessary.

In therapy, I'm interested in helping you explore not just what you do, but what makes those responses feel necessary in the first place.

As we become more aware of these patterns and the experiences that shaped them, we can begin to approach them with curiosity rather than judgment. That awareness can create space to pause, recognize what we need, and discover that we may have more choices than we once did.

Learn more about my approach to therapy.

Absolutely. You don't need to understand why you're anxious before starting therapy.

Anxiety can show up in many ways, including overthinking, perfectionism, people-pleasing, difficulty relaxing, or feeling constantly responsible for what happens around you.

Sometimes anxiety is connected to past experiences or patterns you've developed over time. Other times, its causes are less clear, and we don't need to assume there's a deeper explanation.

In therapy, we can explore what's happening, become curious about the patterns that may be contributing to your anxiety, and recognize the strengths and resources you already have.

We can also work on practical ways to navigate anxiety when it's making everyday life difficult.

The goal isn't simply to make anxiety disappear. It's to help you understand your experience and have more choice in how you respond.

Learn more about Anxiety Therapy.

When people think about trauma, they often imagine a single frightening or life-threatening event. But trauma can also develop through repeated experiences, particularly in relationships where we didn't feel safe, supported, or able to be ourselves.

Complex trauma often involves experiences that happen over time, such as childhood emotional neglect, abuse, unpredictable caregiving, or relationships in which our needs and boundaries weren't respected.

Both PTSD and complex PTSD can involve symptoms such as intrusive memories, avoidance, and feeling constantly on alert. Complex PTSD also involves ongoing difficulties with emotional regulation, self-worth, and relationships.

You don't have to remember every experience, identify a particular event, or have a diagnosis to explore how your past may be affecting you today.

In therapy, I'm interested in understanding how your experiences shaped the ways you learned to navigate the world, including the responses that helped you adapt and protect yourself. We can approach those patterns with curiosity and compassion, rather than treating them as something wrong with you.

Learn more about my approach to trauma therapy.

Dissociation is a way our minds can respond to experiences that feel overwhelming. It can involve a sense of disconnection from our thoughts, emotions, bodies, memories, or surroundings.

Dissociation exists on a spectrum and we all experience it at times. Some people experience occasional moments of feeling disconnected or on autopilot. Others may experience significant memory gaps, feel detached from themselves or the world around them, or notice different identity states with distinct experiences, perspectives, or ways of responding.

For some people, dissociation develops as an adaptive response to trauma, particularly when overwhelming experiences occur repeatedly or early in life. What once helped someone navigate difficult circumstances may continue long after those circumstances have changed.

Dissociation isn't always obvious, even to the person experiencing it. You might notice periods of emotional numbness, difficulty accessing memories or feelings, or experiences that are hard to put into words.

In therapy, we can explore these experiences with curiosity, without rushing to label them or assuming what they mean. Understanding how dissociation functions in your life can help us discover what you need and what choices may become available.

Learn more about my approach to dissociation.

Yes. EMDR therapy can be helpful for people who experience dissociation, including those with complex trauma and dissociative disorders. However, how EMDR is approached matters.

Traditional EMDR protocols may need to be adapted when someone experiences significant dissociation. Moving too quickly into traumatic memories can sometimes feel overwhelming or increase disconnection, particularly when different parts of a person's experience have different capacities for managing distress.

I approach EMDR with attention to your internal experiences, protective responses, and capacity to remain connected to the present. Sometimes our work involves developing greater awareness, strengthening internal communication, or exploring what makes certain experiences feel unsafe before directly processing traumatic memories.

EMDR isn't the only way to work with trauma, and we don't have to use it simply because it's available.

Together, we can explore whether EMDR makes sense for you, what adaptations might be helpful, and when another approach may better support your needs.

Parts work and Coherence Therapy are approaches that help us understand why we sometimes feel pulled in different directions or continue responding in ways that don't seem to match what we consciously want.

Parts work explores the different aspects of our internal experience. For example, one part of you might want closeness while another feels the need to keep people at a distance. Rather than deciding which response is right or wrong, we can become curious about what each is trying to accomplish and what it may be protecting.

Coherence Therapy focuses on discovering the emotional learning that makes a particular response feel necessary. Sometimes we consciously know that something is safe or that we deserve to have needs, while another kind of knowing tells us something very different.

Both approaches help us move beyond simply understanding our patterns intellectually. By exploring the experiences, beliefs, and emotional truths underlying our responses, we can begin to experience possibilities that previously didn't feel available.

I integrate these approaches with other experiential and relational therapies, adapting our work to your needs rather than following a predetermined formula.

Learn more about how I approach our work together.

Yes. I work with autistic and ADHD adults, including people who are diagnosed, self-identified, or exploring whether neurodivergence might help explain aspects of their experiences.

Neurodivergent people often spend years trying to navigate environments and relationships that don't accommodate their needs. Experiences such as masking, sensory overwhelm, chronic misunderstanding, or pressure to meet expectations that don't fit can have a significant impact on how someone experiences themselves and their relationships.

When trauma and neurodivergence overlap, it can sometimes be difficult to distinguish between protective responses, adaptations to an environment, and characteristics that are simply part of how someone's mind works.

My approach is neurodiversity-affirming. I'm not interested in teaching you to appear more neurotypical or treating differences as problems to be corrected. Instead, we can explore your experiences, recognize your strengths, better understand your needs, and develop more choices about how you navigate your life and relationships.

You don't need a formal diagnosis to explore these experiences in therapy.

Yes! I offer online therapy to adults throughout Texas, as well as in-person sessions at my office in Austin.

Online therapy allows us to meet from wherever you feel comfortable and have a private space to talk. You don't need to live near Austin to work with me.

My approach to therapy is the same whether we meet virtually or in person. Our work is collaborative, relational, and guided by your needs. We can explore patterns, emotional experiences, and protective responses through conversation, experiential approaches, and other methods adapted for online sessions.

I also offer EMDR therapy virtually, including adaptations for people who experience dissociation.

Some people prefer the convenience and familiarity of meeting from home, while others appreciate having a separate physical space for therapy. We can discuss what might work best for you.

Contact me to explore working together.