Meet Helen
Licensed Marriage
& Family Therapist
LMFT 106714 (She/Her)
Being a therapist means I am constantly learning. I’m absorbing information from books, academic studies, conferences, advanced trainings, my own therapy, and my own life experiences – but as my client, you are my most important teacher. My clients have taught me that the mind bends toward healing. No one knows what you need to heal better than you, even if that knowledge is buried deep. My job is to use my training to help you get in touch with what that healing looks like.
I am fairly forthright. I strive to listen carefully and deeply, reflect what I hear, and state what appears to be lying beneath the surface of your words. I look for patterns and core beliefs. At times, this means reflecting difficult truths so that we can encounter them together, look at them openly, and see what they have to teach us. I follow your lead and periodically check in on what your goals for therapy are, whether you feel like we are meeting them, and where we need to adjust. My hope is that we can help resolve some of the things you are struggling with, and find ways to help you cope with the hard stuff in life.
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Trained in Gottman and Prepare/Enrich therapy, I work with premarital couples and couples in conflict seeking to rediscover friendship. I have advanced training in EMDR and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy. I use these techniques to teach emotional regulation skills and help reduce anxiety, depression, and assist clients in building effective relationships.
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I haven’t always been a therapist. My first career was in International Relations and Conflict Studies, a field I worked in for just over a decade. In that chapter of my life, I studied ways to help US foreign aid policy decrease conflict and corruption in countries overseas. It was fascinating work, but even in early days I knew that I wanted a life in which I could stay closer to home and work with people one-on-one. I returned to school for a second Master’s degree in 2013, this time in Marriage and Family Therapy. It was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made.
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I am committed to LBGTQ+ equality and support all expressions of gender identity. Having lived and worked in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, Africa, as well as the US East Coast and Midwest, I also enjoy working with clients from different cultural and religious backgrounds. Our heritage deeply affects the way we see the world and my office is a neutral space where you can come and be heard.
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One of the great discoveries of my own adult life is that it’s ok to play! As someone who often lives in the deep spaces of the psyche, play has been an important part of my own self-care. My list of hobbies is long, even if time is often short, and includes: Watching youth baseball games and biting my tongue with umpires, hiking up big hills, riding my bike, aspiring to the “expert” level in Beat Saber, golfing badly, playing tennis (only slightly) more competently, spending time with family, and sitting quietly with my dogs and reading a good book. These activities allow me to reset so I can be present for all the work that needs to be done during the week.
Thank you for taking the time to visit my website. The relationship you establish with your therapist is the single greatest predictor of whether your therapeutic work will be successful. As you take time to research potential providers, you are taking an important step in investing in yourself. I hope you’ll take the time to find a good fit.
If you would like to know more about working with me, please click here and we can schedule a time to talk in person for a 15 minute consultation. My goal is to get back to you within 24 hours, so if you don’t hear from me by then please don’t hesitate to write again.