Who I am

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My path to becoming a therapist was not a straight line; I believe that’s one of my greatest strengths.

While raising children, navigating the stressors of military living, and creating a life rich with experience, I decided to give higher education the good ol’ college try. Armed with a deep curiosity about people and the systems that shape our lives, I began my studies as a Sociology major, drawn to its focus on understanding human behavior within the context of culture, relationships, institutions, and social change. That path ultimately led me to Social Work.

I attended South Puget Sound Community College (AA) and transferred to the University of Washington-Tacoma where I earned both my Bachelor of Social Welfare (Magna Cum Laude) and Masters of Social Work. During my BSW program I served my Practicum at Comprehensive Life Resources in Tacoma, Washington where I learned the importance of service without judgement and the importance of feeling seen when it feels like the world never looks up to see you. During my MSW program, I served my Practicum at the Department of Children Youth and Families where I learned that it is really, really hard to look after your mental health, your partner’s mental health, and the mental health of your children if your basic needs are never met.

After graduation, I began my career working in community mental health, providing counseling for unhoused people living with concurrent Substance Use Disorder and mental illness; this anchored my core principle that everyone—regardless of circumstance or situation—has the right to comprehensive and collaborative mental health care with a professional, competent, and personable clinician who is able to meet another human right where they’re at in their journey.

But I bet you’re wondering why I call myself The Fat Therapist, aren’t you?

The Fat Therapist is a name I chose with deliberate purpose. I use the word “fat” as a neutral, descriptive term; a word that fat folks have heard spat out as an epithet designed to cut down. I chose this name not just to reflect a part my own identity, but to create a space where you feel that all parts of you are welcome, especially the ones that may have been labeled, misunderstood, or made to feel like “too much” or “not enough.”

Many of us move through the world carrying labels that were given to us without our permission—about our bodies, our worth, or who we’re supposed to be. Often, those labels are framed as moral failings, as if something about us is inherently wrong. Part of this work is recognizing that we don’t have to accept those narratives as truth. We can begin to question them, loosen their hold, and relate to ourselves in a different way.

People come to therapy for many reasons—feeling stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, or carrying experiences that are hard to make sense of alone. My work is grounded in an inclusive, anti-stigma approach, where we gently explore these experiences and the stories connected to them, creating space for more self-understanding, compassion, and choice.

We were born into a world that handed us a rulebook we never signed up for and a set of standards we were never asked our opinion on. From the moment we arrive, we are bombarded with the lie that our worth is just a mix of fitting in, looking the part, and having it all together. We’ve been forced to audition for our own lives, performing a version of health and happiness that satisfies a culture profiting off our self-doubt. We see you, Instagram and TikTok, and whatever new distraction of the month is. This space isn’t that. Here, you can move past the static of "not enough" to understand what you actually need to thrive. When you stop obsessing over the container, you can finally explore the contents and discover the deep-seated desires, needs, hopes, strengths, places of hurt and anger, pain and joy, and boundaries and the boundlessness that make you, you.

So let’s stretch the symbol a little! This is about more than just self-acceptance; it’s about taking up space in every sense of the word. Social conditioning has probably told you that to be an acceptable member of society, you need to be smaller, quieter, and less intrusive, so let’s challenge the idea that you’re a visitor in your own neighborhood. Taking up space means knowing you are vital—woven into the warp and weft of the community you live in. It’s moving from the "outside looking in" to knowing you belong there simply because you exist. Let’s stop just surviving the stories that we’ve outgrown and outlive them with joy. All you have to do is show up and do the work exactly as you are right now. There is no better time, there will be no better headspace to be in, and if you’re worried about not having the time (or having therapy times cut into your time off, or just plain old having to lose working hours for therapy), I have hours beyond the traditional 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM therapy time slots.

I work primarily with adult women (including transgender women), queer folks, and couples.

Life can throw a lot of curveballs: navigating raising a family and/or caring for aging parents, pregnancy and pregnancy loss (including Post-Partum Depression), grief, life transitions, depression and anxiety, individuals exploring their sexuality and gender identity, relationship concerns, and attachment patterns.

As a therapist, I value the wisdom you carry from your own lived experience and I strive to to create a space where you’ll feel understood, supported, and empowered to explore the patterns, relationships, and narratives that have shaped you. Together, we’ll work toward deeper self-understanding, stronger and healthier relationships, and the knowledge that you are capable of healthy coping skills and boundaries that honor your physical and emotional space.

Importantly: I will not accept, tolerate, or entertain people who are unable to speak with or about members of the LGBTQIA+ community or People of Color in ways that are honorable and decent.

Regardless of who you ultimately choose as your therapist, write this down in your memory:

My existence is not a problem to be solved. I am a living, breathing miracle, and I’ve spent enough time being told otherwise. I deserve to be free of the burdens I’ve carried for so long.

I don’t need to be fixed, I just need to be free.