I do this work because I want you to be more free and because it’s not easy being human, yet growth and healing are always possible. Therapy expands the range of possibilities you can access, ultimately allowing you to experience more vitality and joy, a fuller sense of self, and more of what life has to offer.

Cleo Wade writes, “When we get real, honest and raw about what we go through, we have the power to turn our words into medicine and our experiences into wisdom.” I consider it a tremendous privilege to serve as a collaborator, witness, guide and support system in the process.

  • MA, Counseling Psychology, California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS)

    BA, Lewis & Clark College

    Internal Family Systems (IFS) for Trauma, Anxiety, Depression, Addiction & More: An Intensive Online Course, with Dr. Richard Schwartz and Dr. Frank Anderson

    Jungian Psychology for Everyday Life, C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco

    Masterclass in Interactive Guided Meditation with Jack Kornfield, PhD

    Embodied Presence & Healing From Presence trainings with Riyaz Motan, MFT

    Mindful Self-Compassion course with Michael Klein, PhD

    Treating Trauma Master Series, National Institute for the Clinical Application of Behavioral Medicine (NICABM)

    How to Work with Shame, NICABM

    Relational Life Therapy Level One Training with Terry Real, LCSW

    Multi-Generational Trauma Training with Terry Real, LCSW

    Hakomi Essential Skills Training with Gal Szekely, MFT

    Emotionally-Focused Therapy Externship with Sam Jinich, PhD, Nancy Aikin, PhD, and Paul Aikin, PhD

    Gottman Couple Therapy Level One Clinical Training with Lisa Lund, MFT

    Somatic Experiencing Workshop with Peter Levine, PhD

    In progress: Jungian-Oriented Psychotherapy, C.G. Jung Institute of San Francisco

    In progress: Jungian Psychology in Clinical Practice, C.G. Jung Institute of Los Angeles

  • California Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (CAMFT)

    San Francisco Chapter, CAMFT

    Gaylesta: The Psychotherapist Association for Gender and Sexual Diversity

    Bay Area Open Minds: Psychotherapists Affirming Gender & Sexual Diversity

    CIIS Teaching Assistant, Integral Counseling Psychology MA Program

  • After graduating from college, I worked in the education and nonprofit sectors for several years before deciding to become a therapist. Therapy had changed my life and I wanted to help others experience its transformative benefits too. I remain committed to a lifelong path of learning and growth, and I appreciate the courage it takes to seek out healing.

    I graduated from the Integral Counseling Psychology Masters program at the California Institute of Integral Studies in 2017 and spent over two years in training at a CIIS Counseling Center. I went on to complete my clinical training at the San Francisco Marriage and Couples Center and in a private practice associateship with Debra Taube, MFT, before establishing my solo private practice. I continue to engage in a number of professional development opportunities and to be inspired by the remarkable growth and change that occur in therapy.

  • The world of therapy historically has not paid nearly enough attention to the impact of oppression and marginalization on mental health. As a person living with many unearned privileges, I'm committed to humble allying and to providing culturally sensitive services to individuals from all walks of life. I believe it's impossible to understand a person without understanding the sociocultural context of their life and how the dynamics of power and privilege have impacted them, regardless of where they find themselves on any given spectrum.

    I believe that systemic inequality and injustice harm and implicate all of us in some way. I understand that experiences such as institutionalized and internalized racism, sexism, xenophobia, transphobia, homophobia, ableism, and ageism deserve careful attention and require much healing. I attend to both your internal experience and to the impact of your identities in the real and all too stratified world. I believe psychological growth has an important part to play in creating a more just and equitable society. I take a critical lens toward the psychology field’s Eurocentric assumptions and perspectives. My undergraduate studies required me to spend significant amounts of time thinking about these issues, yet I know it is a lifelong learning process.

  • My interest in working with grief began with the sudden and unexpected death of a close family member at a young age. Through this experience, I learned that grief is the other side of love; we grieve as deeply as we've loved, and we need to honor and acknowledge grief just as we do the other expressions of love in our lives. I also learned that facing grief is necessary in order to live fully in the present. Our culture as a whole doesn’t have a strong relationship with grief, and I believe that addressing this is essential.

    Grief work is a unique and individual process that involves honoring and acknowledging your losses and all that they mean to you, and making space for all the complicated feelings involved, at your own authentic pace. Over time, it involves finding ways to make your loss a part of your ongoing story, rather than something that keeps you trapped in pain or in the past. Sometimes holding grief rituals and finding community support are also helpful; we aren’t meant to grieve alone. Resources for that can be found here .

  • I want everyone to be affirmed and celebrated for exactly who they are. Through my commitment to providing culturally sensitive services to these communities, I hope to usher in more self-love in queer and trans folks, and to support them with living their fullest, most thriving lives. It brings me joy to celebrate and affirm people’s inherent diversity of gender identity and expression and sexuality. Given the past and present adversity and discrimination faced by these communities, this work feels essential and inspiring to me.

    Maybe you’re looking to process elements of your gender or sexuality in therapy, such as sorting through your feelings and identities, the coming-out process, internalized homophobia or transphobia, or the stress and trauma of belonging to historically marginalized groups. Or maybe you just want to know that I’ll get your pronouns right and you won’t have to explain things like Folsom to me. Either way, I’m here for you.

  • I enjoy working with both couples and individuals on their relationships because I feel a lot of empathy for how hard intimate relationships can be and how they tend to bring up people's rawest wounds. At the same time, relationships also have the potential to be among life's most rewarding experiences. I’m committed to helping people heal relationship-based injuries and challenges so they can experience intimate, respectful and fulfilling connection in this important part of their lives.

    Healing from codependency and relationship abuse often involves unearthing problematic core beliefs, formed early in life, about self-worth, how relationships work, and what one feels allowed to want from others. It can entail grieving for painful and missed experiences and for past harm done. It involves learning to find one’s voice and treat one’s own feelings, boundaries and needs as important. It’s possible to remain meaningfully connected to both oneself and another at the same time, yet often, this experience is unfamiliar and new. I really enjoy this work because of the empowerment and self-discovery that can occur, and because it’s possible to experience new depths of intimacy with both self and others as a result.

    I previously served on staff at a couple therapy center and studied several couple-specific modalities, including Emotionally-Focused Therapy, the Developmental Model, The Gottman Approach, and psychodynamic couple therapy. I enjoy sharing this knowledge with both couples and individuals.

  • About 15-20% of the population possesses an innate hardwired trait called Sensory Processing Sensitivity, making them Highly Sensitive People (HSPs). People with this trait tend to have high amounts of empathy, creativity, attention to subtle details, and a unique depth of processing. However, it is also associated with being overwhelmed more easily than others, feeling both pleasant and unpleasant emotions more intensely, and being more strongly impacted by both beneficial and adverse life experiences.

    I enjoy working with this group because sensitivity is a powerful asset, yet it's often misunderstood and devalued in our culture. I want to fight the stigma and help folks navigate the challenges of the trait in order to be able to fully reap its unique rewards. HSPs also tend to be capable of engaging particularly deeply in the therapy process and experiencing marked benefits as a result, which I enjoy facilitating and witnessing.

    I am careful to attend to your individual experience of high sensitivity and will work thoughtfully with you to help you realize your sensitive strengths. This trait was originally discovered by Dr. Elaine Aron, and I am now included on her list of HSP-Knowledgeable Therapists, Coaches and Medical Professionals.

  • Addictive behaviors and processes are coping strategies - a sign of unhealed emotional pain. They also frequently show up when a person’s relationships feel difficult, lacking or unsatisfactory in some way. Recovery therefore often involves asking: What in your life feels unbearable, and how do (or don’t) you experience a sense of meaningful connection to others? In my work with those in recovery, I’m most interested in addressing and working through the underlying emotional pain that a person has coped with through self-medicating.

    Because the therapy process may bring up painful emotions, the type of therapy I provide is best suited for those with an established recovery and is not recommended for those with serious active addictions. Feel free to reach out with any questions or if you need referrals or resources.