Services

Disabled and chronically ill people devote much of their time to thinking about and managing their physical health. Dealing with the medical system is exhausting—whether you’re in frequent appointments with medical professionals, or you’re fighting to find the time and money to see a doctor at all. All of this naturally takes a toll on your mental health, which can in turn make your symptoms worse. Therapy can be a helpful place to process emotions about chronic illness and all that comes with it. Some of the things you might need support with are:

• Processing a new diagnosis

• The journey toward diagnosis

• The ups and downs of treatment

• Encounters with medical staff

• Working through internalized ableism

• Building systems of support for progressive illness

• Learning to work with your mind and body

The mental health industry has not historically been a welcoming place for neurodivergent individuals. Although today there are many more therapists and activists who champion the rights of MMIND (mad, mentally ill, and neurodivergent individuals) people, neurodivergent people are still often treated poorly by mental health professionals. It is often common that neurodivergent people are unable to access effective, affirming care—and it is often unclear what therapists mean when they say they affirm neurodivergence. Here is what this means to me:

• I respect self-diagnosis; you know yourself better that I do

• I respect your right to take or not take medication, as you see fit

• I want to help you live a life that works for you, not a life that other people approve of

Some of the things that my neurodivergent clients seek support for are:

• Exploring potential neurodivergence

• Processing a new diagnosis, or exploring a self-diagnosis

• Building supportive systems

• Learning to work with your brain rather than against it

• Processing the effects of a non-affirming society and medical system

Being queer is beautiful, and can be a source of community, care, and connection. Unfortunately LGBTQ+ people are also often the target of political and interpersonal violence, particularly in today’s political climate. My goal is to be with you through both joy and fear, to help you find the people who love you, and to help you protect yourself from those who can’t. Some of the things my queer clients seek support for are:

• Gender identity and sexuality exploration

• Trying out new pronouns and names

• Coming out (or staying in)

• Engaging in queer community

• Processing feelings related to oppression, abuse, and mistreatment

• Processing fear and fostering joy

Chronic or repeated trauma can affect your life for long after you find safety—and make it feel impossible to feel safe at all. While there are as many different stories of chronic trauma as there are survivors of it, most of these stories have one thing in common: traumatizing experiences teach us to mistrust ourself, others, and the world. Some of the things that you might need support with are:

• Creating boundaries with self and others

• Practicing safety in relationships

• Building a life that feels good

• Exploring your identity

• Managing your relationship with a complex family of origin

• Making hard decisions about important but painful relationships

• Seeking community

• Processing ongoing trauma due to racial, gender- or sexuality-based, ableist, and other oppression