I was always an artist and writer, as long as I can remember. I recall typing stories on an old typewriter my dad gave me when I was about 7 years old. I started a writing club called the Dancing Unicorns with my neighbor BFF in 4th grade. I loved creating, whether it was through writing, art, or fashion. Finding punk and feminism changed my life as a middle schooler. I was so inspired by the music and passion and commitment to social justice. In high school, my friends and I did photo shoots, we designed patches, made websites, wrote stories together. I remember staying up all night making giant sacred hearts covered in glitter and pills and cut up words from magazines. I left home and got a master’s degree in Multimedia Arts. However, recovering from the trauma and upheaval of my early 20s pushed me away from working in multimedia. I realized my purpose was helping. I became a syringe exchange volunteer, then a clinic manager at Planned Parenthood, and then spent multiple years as a case manager supporting women with histories of homelessness, incarceration, and trauma. Eventually I decided to go back to school for social work, and became a licensed therapist. After multiple years of working under the umbrella of agencies, for other people, I opened my own practice. It was such an exciting, scary time- I loved building the business, and being able to let my vision and intention shine through my work in a whole new way. There was an expansiveness and exhilaration through the whole process. I specialize in working with other helping professionals dealing with compassion fatigue. I provide therapy, trainings, retreats, workshops, crisis debriefing, and support groups. I also am skilled in working with trauma, substance use, and justice involvement. I work from a trauma informed, harm reduction, feminist and anti-oppression framework. I feel I also bring my BIPOC, punk ethos to my practice- I am committed to dismantling the harmful aspects of my profession, and have tried to impact the future generation of social workers as a professor. For a long time, I felt I wasn’t going to be taken seriously in my field. I’m covered in tattoos, I’m disabled, BIPOC, and a woman. And believe me, I have absolutely been judged and underestimated many times, which really amplified my existing imposter syndrome for a long time.. As the years have gone by, I’ve become more and more comfortable in the skin of my career. I don’t care anymore if people make assumptions about my intelligence or my skills. I am fully confident in my abilities, my experience, and my creative approach to my work. So they can take it or fucking leave it. That journey of growing into my own power is probably what I am most proud of. I’m also not ashamed to share my mental health struggles anymore. I feel it’s a strength to disclose to my clients that I have been in therapy for many years (when it’s appropriate, and will help them) I get what it’s like to go through the therapeutic process- sometimes it really sucks. And I know what it feels. like to have a therapist minimize your struggles, or not listen to you, or act like they are above you. It’s more important to me than anything to NOT put my clients through that.