About Me

Why connect running with therapy?

I started running regularly my freshman’s year of college. I moved away from my family in Oregon down to San Diego. I was hit with a sense of loss and loneliness with this transition. I ran to feel capable, strong, and confident. I was reshaping my identity as an individual and woman separate from my family as I found my stride. I graduated in 2006 with a B.A in psychology from the University of San Diego and moved back to Oregon for graduate school at the University of Oregon.

I found refuge in pushing my body’s limits, as well as comfort in the beauty around me. Running became training for the emotional ups and downs of life. For me, running was a constant that was always there no matter the uncertainties or challenges life provided. Going through the 7 week training program to become a Certified Run Walk Talk™ therapist, I learned about the physiological and scientific explanations for why running has these effects! I am happiest outside on a trail, and it’s possible you could be too.

I have been a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist for over a decade; my previous clinical experience has prepared me to meet you wherever you are. Regardless of the space you are in, and the pace you need, I am confident we can find combination of movement and collaboration that will move you forward.

I spent many years working with adolescent girls and their families, then adults and couples. I learned Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, and integrated mindfuless into my work and life. I occasionally ran with clients, and even completed a half marathon with a client that was a key aspect of her healing.

Perhaps you are a sensitive person, who has had to be tough to survive your experiences. Feeling deeply and moving through life is not easy. Running has helped me negotiate my relationship with pain; we can work together to uncover how movement might support you in other areas of your life. Running makes me feel capable of handling adversity. It reminds me of the beauty around me and the resilience within me. It is a ritual that honors where I’ve been, creates purpose in challenge, and celebrates who I am becoming. I am a therapist, and I am a runner. This is the gift I want to share with you.

In addition to your personal goals, Run Walk Talk session can effectively move you towards:

1) Building or reclaiming your self confidence

2)  Enhance your mind body connection

3)  Connect with nature and deepen sense of interconnectedness

4) Harness the power of your own movement to translate it into confidence in all areas of your life

5) Uncover unconscious and sub-conscious motivations behind your movement to unlock obstacles to progress

6) Simultaneously improve your mental and physical health

7) Cultivate resilience and mental strength in the face of transitions or trauma