Philosophy and Approach
Authenticity takes courage. To be authentic is to accept your unique story, to know your strengths and weaknesses, to practice living in accordance with your core values, and to create a life where you flourish. Authenticity requires an honest examination of your inner and outer world, and the strength to build a life worth living. When we live authentically, we move from mere existence into vibrant being, a state of presence.
At Authentic Being, I support you on this journey. I do not aim to fix, judge, or pathologize you. Rather, I see myself as a fellow traveler, guiding and supporting you as you explore your inner world. "I have this psychiatric diagnosis" or "It’s always been this way" become conversation starters, not endings. From a non-judgmental stance, I listen for the yearnings, fears, tensions, and beliefs that reside within the various aspects of your psyche. Working from an Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Existential-Humanistic (E-H) lens, I believe change happens when a person understands difficult parts of themselves to be like wounded children in need of love, not banishment.
When you start understanding your inner life with compassionate curiosity, space opens within you. This psychic roominess allows you to observe—and once you can observe, you can choose. You no longer react automatically to triggering situations. Rather, you have choice on how you want to respond depending on your priorities and values. Yet knowing how to execute action can be difficult, especially if you have spent too long relying on maladaptive behaviors due to trauma, upbringing, or cultural norms. That’s why Authentic Being pairs compassionate curiosity with skillful action. Skillful action entails acting in an intentional way to get what you want. I am trained in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) and Relational Life Therapy (RLT) to provide expert, evidence-based skills in emotional regulation, impulsivity, healthy relationships, codependency, and more.
Therapy is not magic. It cannot change your external circumstances or erase your past. Yet good, life-changing psychotherapy does something just as powerful: it awakens a person to their life-constricting ways of engaging with the world and supports them as they engage their agency. As my mentor, the expert clinician Orah Krug, states, "freedom can be actualized when one's 'personal prison' is realized." When you are set free from self-constructed constrictions, you will find more joy, purpose, and meaning in your life. In this way, psychotherapy is transformative.