As therapist focusing on the parent-child relationship, I help parents use connection rather than control to create the relationships they want with their children.

Parents, I know how you’re feeling because I’ve been there.

My journey as a parent-focused therapist in Seattle started when my 18-month old daughter threw a fork across the dinner table, and I didn’t know what to do.

I was already beginning to panic because, while I found taking care of a baby pretty straightforward, I didn’t know what to do with a child once she developed opinions. I knew I didn’t want to raise her in the authoritarian way I was raised, and I also didn’t want to raise her in a permissive way where she would rule the roost.

But I had to find the balance so I could feel confident as a parent and create the happy family life I’d always imagined.

I took Hand in Hand Parenting classes and subsequently became a certified Hand in Hand Parenting instructor in 2011. I ran parenting classes and support groups for several years, and then I decided to expand and deepen my knowledge by becoming a family therapist.

After I became a therapist, I realized that working with a family systemically requires supporting parents in exploring their own worldviews they bring to the family unit along with identifying useful parenting skills, attachment styles, strategies, and more. So now I focus my work as a parent-child relationship therapist to help support parents on their journey to strengthening relationships with their children.

MY APPROACH TO PARENTING THERAPY

I prioritize your relationship with your child with the aim of helping you raise well-adjusted, emotionally competent children.

When we face parenting challenges it's often because there are gaps in our own childhoods around the same issues. Finding new ways to manage these challenges can feel daunting when we have no past references to use as a roadmap.

I want to help your family reduce its stress level by providing you with strategies and by helping you develop healthy communication patterns.

As a family therapist, I view each individual as part of a family system, with our relationships profoundly influencing each of us. The impact of societal messaging and expectations are often explored in our work together, and I welcome families of all identities. I offer attachment-based individual and connection-based parenting therapy sessions that will help you explore, understand, and find the solutions you want.