“Pain is important: how we evade it, how we succumb to it, how we deal with it, how we transcend it.” – Audre Lorde

i identify as an Afro-Indigenous, GenderQueer, disabled, neurodivergent, pansexual womxn from a working-class background. i began my work with gender-diverse communities in the San Francisco Bay Area, where i served as a legal assistant and community organizer for approximately seven years. Since relocating to New Mexico, i have worked as a Residential Advocate, Case Manager, and intern therapist at a domestic violence shelter for a total of 5 years; as a therapist in an alcohol and substance use recovery center for nearly 2 years; and with outpatient therapy agencies for approximately 10 months. Across these roles, as a GenderQueer and pansexual individual myself, i have made a point of consistently providing services to and working closely with transgender, nonbinary, gender-nonconforming, and other gender-diverse individuals. My professional and personal experiences have been shaped by longstanding involvement in social justice advocacy, including LGBTQIA+, racial, and environmental justice efforts. Throughout this work, i have maintained a strong focus on the emotional and psychological impacts of systemic inequities and the importance of healing and resilience. My clinical approach is grounded in the values of empathy, balance, justice, community, and restoration. i integrate holistic and culturally responsive practices with western evidence-based therapeutic approaches to support clients in achieving meaningful and sustainable mental health outcomes.

As a recent transplant from California’s Bay Area, i have spent the past seven years living in the Las Cruces/Mesilla area. i am a newly licensed counselor, having completed a Master of Social Work degree at the University of Denver. i currently hold both the Licensed Master of Social Work (LMSW) and Licensed Substance Abuse Associate (LSAA) credentials. i am actively working towards obtaining my Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Abuse Counselor (LADAC) now.

i have experience working within their specialties of anxiety, chronic illness, chronic pain, domestic abuse, dissociative disorders, depression, psychosis, racial identity, substance use, 2SLGBTQIA+ identities, trauma and PTSD, and Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI). i have experience utilizing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Feminist Therapy, Decolonial Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Therapies, Multicultural Therapy, Narrative Therapy, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy that are strength-based, trauma-focused, person-centered, and compassionate. i have experience, too, providing telehealth.

i have generally worked with young adults, adults, and elders of all ethnicities and races, sexualities, gender identities, abilities, educational backgrounds, national origins, and classes. i have a lot of experience with decolonial therapy, with the majority of my training focused on trauma-informed care and alcohol and substance use disorder.