As it is for so many of us, my own story was my starting point. As I entered the middle phase of adolescence, I found myself processing my parents’ divorce and trying to make sense of the legacies left by generations of my family before me. I wanted to shore up my sense of who I was. I wanted to understand.

Uncovering parts of myself led to more questions, and over time, those questions extended beyond my own experience. I wanted to understand others too. I wanted to make sense of what makes people think and act differently – what makes them unique. I knew that it wasn’t as simple as a particular equation.

This understanding deepened as I entered college at the University of Michigan. During my second year, I had the opportunity to be part of a research team looking at how people recalled their most stressful life events. With this research, I was exploring the very ways we as people cope with difficult experiences and how we regulate our emotions in the midst of them.

I didn’t know it at the time, but I would soon face one of my own most stressful life events that same year when I experienced sexual assault. Like one in four other women, I was then facing the aftermath and trying to regain a sense of myself. I was fortunate to have a steady and supportive therapist who helped validate my experience and gently guide me to a healthier place.

This work helped me to recognize how much I, myself, wanted to support others through clinical work. I continued to be driven to explore why we as individuals make the choices we do, and to understand how factors like our diverse backgrounds and identities influence these choices. By the time I had graduated, I was confident that my experiences personally and professionally would continue to empower me as a psychologist and could help empower others. 

As a therapist today, my goal is always to provide the safest space needed for people to explore and heal the most uncomfortable parts of being human. I invite people I work with to be vulnerable and honest in a way that lets them recover from what’s holding them back. I remain so honored when my clients share these parts of themselves.