Sex-Positive, Kink Allied Therapists in Milwaukee, WI

It's important to me that my clients feel welcome and safe enough to show up exactly as they are. I do my best to attend to my clients in a fully present and available way so that I can deeply witness, listen, and respond with clarity, non-judgment, and compassion. I believe that psychotherapy can be a powerful vehicle for self-discovery, self-acceptance, and transformation. I draw on my own experiences of joy and suffering to be with my clients in a human way.

I practice sex therapy, individual therapy, and couples therapy in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I enjoy helping clients ages 16-60 with issues in individual mental health, sex and sexuality, relationships, and family dynamics. Using a radically body- and sex-positive approach, I help people with sexual concerns including sexual pain, desire and arousal issues, out of control sexual behavior, difficulty with orgasm, recovering healthy sexuality after trauma, polyamory, swinging, kink , gender and orientation discovery, and concerns over porn usage. Cultural humility and racial justice are very important to me. Health at Every Size aligned.

The therapeutic relationship can be a very important one and, like any other healthy relationship, it is based on mutual respect, trust and commitment. I approach our work together with a nonjudgmental stance. I will meet you wherever you are in your life's journey and honor your unique strengths. I support clients in creating their most fulfilling lives, in line with their values and goals. I incorporate mindfulness into a collaborative and client-centered process and employ an honest, direct communication style combined with warmth, compassion, and humor. I strive for a balance of embracing both change and acceptance.

I believe that the therapist-client relationship is the most important tool we have when it comes your healing. I utilize a compassionate, non-judgmental, trauma-informed approach where you can openly examine your mental health, who you are, what you believe, and how your experiences and interactions with society affect your life. I enjoy working with clients from all walks of life, particularly clients who identify as part of the LGBTQIA+ community, college students, and folks who are navigating life/spirituality after adverse religious experiences. I am a sex-positive practitioner and am kink and poly affirming.

Normal is a setting on a dryer. We are all unique and valid individuals with vast minds. We all have different situations and I believe in using those pieces to heal and build strength. While I specialize in trauma, addiction, and mood, our struggles are usually not that one note or simple. I focus on all aspects of who you and where you want to be, building a strong relationship based on empathy, trust and non judgement. Life is rough, we lose sight of our way, stop seeing the beauty, forget who we are, feel stuck or changed. It takes courage to be vulnerable and reality is we are imperfectly perfect.

The people I work with ask big questions: How do I want to live my life? How do I heal or integrate what I've been through? What do I want from myself and my relationships? What's a healthy boundary? Who do I want to become? How can I live out my gender and sexuality most authentically? I work with people who feel deeply and want a richer experience from their emotional lives without it overwhelming them; with people whose sexual and gender expressions have been met with hostility or misunderstanding; with those who need an intentional and fiercely compassionate space to learn more about themselves, others, and the world.

Therapy is a unique and personal process. Whether it is due to overwhelming life changes or underlying mental health issues, we may find ourselves in need of extra support. I will empower you to use the strengths you already have, as well as set goals that will allow you discover more within yourself. I strive to provide a safe space for you to grow, change and explore the ways in which you want to better your life. Through emphasis of “care for the whole person,” we focus on your overall wellness in addition to any specific areas of your life. Together we will find the tools for you to be successful in coping with life's stressors.

Nothing is making you more frustrated than feeling as if you are running a marathon to nowhere, not remembering the main reason why you started the race. Finding how your past seems to continue affecting your present and throwing you into loops. Maybe feeling so spread thin that it is not enough of you to feel complete and fulfilled at least in one area. Perhaps the many problems in your relationship make you realize you can no longer recognize yourself or your partner.

I am a licensed professional counselor and wellness consultant with 20+ years of professional experience in the areas of higher education, holistic mental health, and wellness. I have experience working with individuals and couples of diverse backgrounds in various populations with mental health/wellness issues toward their goal of healing and wellness.

My focus is in working with clients who live in some way that is outside of a societal expectation or norm. My style is rooted in the idea of collective liberation, and my clients are queer folx, trans folx, changemakers and activists, those living with chronic illness, survivors of relational and systemic trauma; those with body types, cultural identities, family or relationship structures that differ from those represented frequently or positively in mainstream media.

It will not come as a surprise to anyone when I say, we all encounter life challenges that can leave us uncertain, preoccupied, or feeling like we are treading water. In moments like these, it can be helpful to meet one on one with a trained psychological professional.  These one on one sessions can offer us the space to be heard, discuss our experiences openly, and offer chances for us to see our challenges from more than one point of view. Often when we are able to see challenges from more than one point of view, we can learn from them in ways that can help us grow. 

Despite supporting those you love, working incredibly hard, and being a good friend, you still worry a lot. You want to let go of worry, overthinking, and frustration. You care too much about what others think, make others comfortable at your expense, do the supposed right thing, struggle with the confidence to say no, and don’t listen to your thoughts and feelings. It's hard to say no when you believe it means you're lazy or selfish. You don't want to disappoint people. You may think, “Expressing my needs would be too much.” You want peace and confidence. You also want to express your real self and transform your relationships.

I take a collaborative approach with my clients, working together to create positive, transformative, and lasting change. I work with my clients so they can be confident in their own expertise, drawing on the wisdom and strength within them. I find that being genuine in my work allows for humor and warmth while learning helpful skills and finding new insights. I know seeking out help can be difficult, and I respect and admire those who take that first step toward wellness. While I specialize in working with couples and families, I also regularly work with individuals on a wide array of relational and other mental health concerns.

Life presents many challenges. We can feel isolated in how we deal with different struggles. Sudden life changes, traumatic events, or dealing with underlying mental health can make these things a lot harder to work through. Trauma is something many of us have experienced but haven’t identified. Engaging in therapy can help identify and process through those things that we feel have impacted our lives in different ways. Other struggles can arise from being a student, changes in work, relationship issues, family issues, multicultural concerns and so much more. Engaging in therapy can help with finding support and insight.

I am passionate about working with clients who are impacted by substance use and mood disorders. I believe in taking a holistic approach to counseling. Understanding how the mind and body work together to impact physical and mental health as part of recovery, is a key component of the work I do with clients. As well as, identifying how our thoughts impact our feelings and behaviors. I believe in collaborating with clients on their recovery journey in order to help you discover your best self.

I enjoy working with adults to aid in self-growth by working toward overcoming daily and life stressors, learning and breaking behavioral patterns, as well as anxiety and depression. Through active listening and support, my treatment philosophy involves helping clients improve their well-being by processing, building self-awareness, and developing tools to cope and manage their issues and concerns. My empathetic nature helps clients build trust to focus on and work toward achieving their goals and building insight.

EMAIL IS BEST WAY TO REACH US. PLEASE LET US KNOW IF YOU CARRY MEDICAID/T19/BADGERCARE. If you are looking for more direction and ready to make active strides for a better quality of life, we can help. Different reasons bring people in for therapy which can be major life changes, frustrations with the same mistakes repeating, overall poor mood, quality of life, etc. It's normal to strive for goals and feel stuck and confused about what could be standing in the way. It's also a sign of strength to feel ready to look at matters for what they are and want to make the preparations to do what needs to be done to get there!

I enjoy working with individuals who are interested in experiencing a change in their life. Perhaps you want to have greater insight and understanding or perhaps you want to make some really focused changes in your life; I would love to join you in that process and offer support in the journey. I also recognize that pretty much everyone right now is working hard to stay afloat so I am eager to offer a wide array of hours including evenings and weekends as well as telehealth services.

Every individual has an incredible well of innate potential and power to heal, self-actualize, and achieve their most authentic and incredible life. My role is to collaborate with others to catalyze that potential, to accelerate healing. Persons seeking counseling are individuals not content with status quo or complacency. They want to be their best selves and to expand their lives to make them as fulfilling and incredible. It is my greatest honor to provide the sacred space and clinical expertise that allows others to complete the work of evolving into their truest selves.

Putting the needs of others above your own? Preoccupation with protecting other people and fixing their problems? An intense need to be perfect and gain approval from others? These are all common patterns that can lead to feelings of depression, anxiety and lack of fulfillment. I have a unique understanding for those who are struggling with these issues. With deep empathy, I can help you understand how your past experiences and relationships are affecting present day and provide you the solid ground to stand on to take risks to change your life and relationships.