If you see failure as a weakness, then it will become painful.
If you see failure as opportunity, then it will become strength.
My Background
I received a Masters degree in Systems Counseling Psychology from the Leadership Institute of Seattle (LIOS) in 2010. I had previously completed a BA in Philosophy from the University of Washington. I have certifications in Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). I have studied many other forms of therapy including Process psychology (Jung), Psychoanalysis (Freud), Existential therapy, mindfulness practices, and Internal Family Systems therapy.
In between undergrad and grad school I worked in residential construction for four years. In those years I also got back into martial arts, mediation, and mindfulness. I kept thinking about my undergraduate thesis, which was about emotions and decided to go back to school for psychology. I expanded upon my undergraduate thesis for my graduate thesis and am now working on a book that incorporates those ideas. The book is about the folly of morally judging our feelings and emotions and (from my theses) a model for examining and communicating about our emotions without that moral judgement getting in the way of us managing and changing our behavior.
A little about me as a person.
I live in Portland with my partner of 9 years, our cat, and four chickens. We like gardening and have planted more fruit trees on our little property than you’d think was possible (I like tending to the trees). We both enjoy cooking, especially cooking together, and learning new recipes and techniques. I still do martial arts, which most recently includes no-gi Jiu Jitsu and kickboxing. I grew up here in the north west doing outdoor activities and still enjoy skiing, hiking, backpacking, and camping. I like to try new activities when I get the chance, just to stretch myself, like stand up paddle boarding, backcountry skiing, skate skiing, and whatever else I come across.