My Approach
I integrate psychotherapy, deep listening, mindfulness, somatic therapy, and earth-based ceremonial healing and rites of passage. Nature mirrors our strengths and provides the answers we need with the help of ceremony.
I strive to meet you, with kindness and compassion in an atmosphere of mindfulness and emotional safety. We will work as a team to make decisions about your goals and the modalities and methods that may be used. The skills I teach you and the specific healing techniques that we use together will depend on your issues, where you are in your process, and what you feel drawn to.
I bring emotional intelligence, mindful presence, and kind, gentle compassion with a keen intellect and articulate use of language. I have extensive knowledge of psychology, neuroscience, and ecology that I bring to the experience, as well as tapping into a lifetime of experience and personal growth and decades of spiritual practice. My work is informed as well by the wisdom of indigenous earth-based cultures and of the natural world and all its beings.
Our overall approach will be holistic, touching on mind, body, Spirit, and Nature. I will shine a light on your resources and strengths. I will acknowledge and honor whatever your cultural background is. I encourage my clients to tap into whatever spiritual or religious resources they may possess, and I also welcome clients who consider themselves humanist, atheist, or agnostic.
I love to integrate working with Nature into my counseling and therapeutic work. I am passionate about supporting others in getting more connected to themselves and Nature, in accessing the wellsprings of healing, and in finding genuine meaning and purpose that is enlivening.
Background and Credentials
I am a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC) in New Mexico, meditation instructor, birding and nature guide, energy healer, and vision quest guide. I have been deeply committed to psychological and spiritual growth for over 30 years and have been working with others in a therapeutic role for more than 15 years.
I received my MA in Counseling from Southwestern College, an experiential, consciousness-based, holistic graduate school. My first Master’s degree was in Forest Ecology. I have been dedicated to practicing Buddhist-inspired meditation for more than 30 years and began teaching meditation in 1997. I was trained how to teach Mindfulness-based Stress Reduction by the Univ. of Mass. Center for Mindfulness. I worked as a psychotherapist and counselor with several Santa Fe area agencies, including Solace Crisis Treatment Center. My training and clinical experience in Trauma Resiliency Model, Trauma First Aide, Brainspotting and somatic therapy qualify me to practice somatic psychotherapy. While I do not practice bodywork on my counseling clients, my training and experience as a Certified Practitioner of Bio-Touch, a gentle touch healing therapy, has expanded my understanding of the importance of the body (somatics) to mental health. I have been a Guest Lecturer at Southwestern College.
I participated in my first vision fast (vision quest) ceremony in 2007 (in the lineage of the School of Lost Borders) and have been guiding others in vision fast since 2009. That year, I also received a certificate in “Transformational Eco-psychology: Earth-based Practices”, which included studies in Andean shamanism and other indigenous forms of healing. I have also dived deep into intensive ecotherapy experiences with Animas Valley Institute (Soulcraft), Esalen Institute, and Joanna Macy (The Work that Reconnects).
An Invitation
Peace, balance, insight, clarity, and joy are within reach. Nature heals and empowers – I know this from my own lived experience and witnessing change in others. Come take a walk and talk with me, or sit with me under a tree. I would be honored to accompany you on your healing journey. Please call or email me to set up a free initial phone consultation.
505-310-3205 | Send Email
Contact me today!
Don’t ask what the world needs. Ask what makes you come alive, and go do it. Because what the world needs is people who have come alive.”
– Howard Thurman
Licensed Mental Health Counselor | Santa Fe, New Mexico
- License #: 0135661
- License State: New Mexico
- Practicing Since: 2010
