In me you will find a courageous ally.
Author Unknown
People often ask me how I became or why I decided to become a therapist. There are many reasons that I became a therapist – of course, I love to help people, but I’m also very curious about people and how those experiences shape their lives.
I was born and raised in Los Angeles, California to parents that were blue-collar workers. My parents were born in the mid-west and were part of the Great Migration of many African Americans coming to the west coast to escape racism and explore better opportunities. Trauma was interwoven into the fabric of my family history. What came out of my family history was not only trauma, but the strength to overcome obstacles and strive for something greater. I owe this understanding to my parents of learning how to not just survive, but thrive through adversity.
These early experiences have come to inform my therapeutic work. I take heart that life’s circumstances need not overpower you. I have worked with a broad spectrum of individuals and couples from many different cultures, lifestyles and socio-economic backgrounds and I have learned that pain does not discriminate. Many of us at some point have experienced conflict, doubt, uncertainty, loss and sadness that come with life’s struggles.
I enjoy helping individuals bring a sense of awareness and consciousness to their lives.
Being in therapy is an endeavor that can be both challenging and rewarding, and I have been on both sides. Even years into this profession, I continue to study, daily, the psychodynamics of the human condition through depth psychology. In my work, I see self-hatred, despair, loneliness, loss of connection with oneself and others and barriers to being loved and loving. Even so, I am continually amazed by an individual’s capacity to grow. This gives me the energy to wake up every day and continue this work.
