hello! I’m Brooke.
I’m an associate marriage and family therapist based in the San Francisco Bay Area providing psychotherapy to California residents
“Rarely, if ever, are any of us healed in isolation. Healing is an act of communion.”
— bell hooks
Areas of focus
Grief, Bereavement, death, dying & loss
Grieving someone we love can feel incredibly lonely. Our society doesn’t honor grief well. Too often, we are rushed to “get over it”, in isolation, without sufficient tools to heal — and yet loss and grief are unavoidable parts of our lives, whether personally or collectively. This can stir up different feelings, from sadness to rage to guilt to existential dread. I call on my personal experience of losing my dad to cancer, alongside a wealth of resources and knowledge, to support the unfolding of your authentic grief process.
Complex trauma, relational trauma, and PTSD
Unlike PTSD, complex trauma is the compounding effect of years of exposure, often beginning in childhood with our primary caregivers - but also the result of oppression and marginalization. This disruption in attachment and sense of safety has a profound impact on our adult selves— influencing things like relationships, identity, self-confidence, ability to take up space, access to ancestral wisdom. I will support you in unpacking and processing these experiences in an effort to reclaim vital parts of yourself lost along the way.
Young Adulthood & “Adulting”
Newfound independence, growing responsibility, and making significant life decisions are just some of the reasons “adulting” can feel intimidating, isolating, and messy. Life between the ages of 15 and 30 can entail high highs and low lows. You may be grappling with big questions: Who am I? Who are my people? What’s my purpose? Am I doing this right?! I will accompany you in this crucial self-exploration with open-mindedness, transparency, curiosity, and respect.
Currently providing virtual therapy
I Believe…
Therapy is an intentional space to examine and find meaning in your life; to step out from behind patterns and behaviors that no longer serve you; to reconnect with yourself amidst the noise of the expectations that have shaped you; to seek repair and transform through corrective experiences; to process complex feelings; to establish a sense of grounding and clarity where there currently is none; to grieve.
We are not meant to do these things alone, despite how isolated the world has allowed us to feel. For this reason, I believe the therapeutic relationship built between us is a powerful agent of change and repair, and is something I honor and return to in our work together.
In one of my favorite books The Boy, the Mole, the Fox and the Horse by Charlie Mackesy, the Boy asks the Horse, “What’s the bravest thing you’ve ever said?”
“Help,” the Horse replies. “Asking for help isn’t giving up, it’s refusing to give up”.
I know that seeking therapy isn’t easy despite feeling stuck or unhappy, but I believe that it’s immensely vulnerable, and therefore immensely courageous. I believe you’re here because you haven’t given up. Some part of you knows more is possible — more joy, more connection, more ease, more fulfillment, more meaning.
“Every life is a piece of art, put together with all means available.”
