How do you work with clients with racial identity issues?
Interwoven into my counseling work is scholarship of structural racism, white/racial privilege, and the distinction between prejudice and racism (prejudice + power). This integration goes beyond a mere acknowledgement of racism as a potential pitfall/threat to people of the global majority, and extends to –– exploration of how racial dominance is internalized psychologically, spiritually, and emotionally. One example of integrating antiracism with counseling is supporting clients as they re-remember how intergenerational racial trauma shaped the theologies, survival strategies, power dynamics, and parenting practices of their families––for better or worse. Another instance is holding space for clients as they unpack the detrimental impact of colonial socialization on their self-worth, body image, and overall relationship to vulnerability/authenticity. Yet another example is putting language to clients’ perceptions of white supremacy culture in the workplace, and even in institutional spaces led and/or created by non-white people.
My most important commitment is that you feel truly affirmed, empowered, and heard. I listen with deep curiosity and humility, always honoring your unique story and how your lived experiences have shaped your values, hopes, and emotional needs.
Whether you’re grappling with anxiety, self-doubt, grief, people-pleasing, or power struggles in your relationships, I create a nonjudgmental space to explore complex feelings like guilt, insecurity, jealousy, regret, resentment, and more. I also offer a deep understanding of cultural pressures, marginalization, and power dynamics.
For over 15 years, I've worked alongside diverse communities in public health and education––from LGBTQIA+ centers, sexual health programs, and reproductive justice organizations, to disability centers, trauma-informed crisis lines, and under-resourced schools.
Across nearly two decades, I have supported numerous people of color and immigrants––many of them queer and/or trans––as they negotiated multiple perspectives on belonging, cultural authenticity, discrimination, failure/success, faith, family, sexuality, and social class. Witnessing the tenacity, self-awareness, compassion, and character of cycle-breakers was one of a few major motivators for entering the profession.
I earned an M.Phil.Ed. in Professional Counseling from the University of Pennsylvania's Graduate School of Education and an Ed.M. in Human Development & Psychology at Harvard's Graduate School of Education.
