“Authenticity is a journey, & every traveler needs a proper map and compass to reach their destination.”
About me…
My own path of self-discovery has been a collection of destinations: geographic, relational, and educational. After growing up on the East Coast, I moved west to explore my own identity, navigating issues of socio-economic class and racial resiliency. My desire to put others on a path of self-improvement and develop my personal confidence led me to pursue graduate studies in social work. This further led to a career helping others locate the sources of their insecurity and defensiveness, with the goal of equipping patients with the tools necessary to travel securely and confidently through life.
Just like you, I’ve had to recognize the traumas that drove me through life’s experiences, but I’ve worked to take charge of my journey and embrace my holistic self. Together we will explore the path for your own journey, and I will provide the accountability you need to embrace the complete you.
Being the mixed-race child of divorced parents has allowed me to travel along many intersecting roads. Confronting race and identity at an early age and watching my grandparents navigate the world and me, I gained an appreciation for the joys and pains passed through generations. At the same time, working with thought leaders in the African-American community allowed me to see how emotional frustration was derailing efforts to promote economic and social change.
Over the course of my life, I’ve traveled to over 30 countries and gained an appreciation for the diversity of the human experience. This allows me to connect with a wide range of clients, while also refining a sense of empathy and compassion currently lacking in the tension-filled American public imagination. I love the continuous learning process that comes with psychoeducational treatment and believe that equipping patients with the tools for success and self-love is an expression of my own authentic self.
My Approach
The core of my work is focused on the idea of love, but not just limited to tenderness or intimacy. I believe in the kinds of real love that take hard work and self-exploration to develop. I genuinely believe that spreading love is an obligation, a contract we make with society so that we can uplift those in pain and bring joy to those around us. I believe love grows, not from romance or passion, but from honesty, vulnerability, and patience.
I believe psychoeducational strategies are tools that can help anyone, regardless of their level of success or confidence: we all have room to grow stronger, more self-assured, and more loving. Much of our pain stems from a misunderstanding of the small traumas of our lives: break-ups and divorces, career setbacks, and the losses of the future selves we envisioned but did not reach. Through acceptance and self-appreciation, we acknowledge and overcome past struggles and prepare for future challenges.
Most importantly, I know that the start of a journey of healing comes from feeling strong foundations beneath our feet. I create a safe environment where you do not need to hide from your fears or shame, and can instead embrace the perfectly imperfect whole that is you. Together, we will write your unique travelogue and discover the love you already possess, nourishing the self while learning to enjoy, rather than fear, our authentic personal journeys.
The VENT Philosophy
Verbalizing Emotional Needs Together
All of us are at our best when we are in healthy, satisfying relationships with our families and friends - we are stronger together. But we each come with our own emotional needs, and sometimes we do not listen to others’ needs. Sometimes our own needs are not met. In these cases, we lose track of the positive relationships in our lives because we are unable to communicate our needs or hear what others are trying to communicate. This comes down to vocabulary: we just don’t know how to talk about our emotions. We don’t know how to translate our needs to others, and we don’t know how to listen to others.
If we want to communicate authentically, we have to learn the words we need so we can say what we really mean.
The VENT Philosophy is just that: an approach that shows that if we verbalize our emotional needs together, we can grow stronger in our relationships, cope with long term and generational trauma, work through grief, and heal pain that drags us down on our journeys through life. Through group therapy sessions and psychoeducational tools, I can help you and your loved ones resolve long-standing pains and also prepare to take on future challenges together, more effectively and with deeper love and confidence.
