You are wondering who I am
I am licensed psychotherapist specializing in relationships and trauma. I work with couples and individuals whose relationships with people who matter most... hurt.
I will help you communicate to each other what is and has been fueling the pain you are in and guide you so you can create a meaningful change.
I have extensive advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), as well as training in somatic approaches to trauma healing, including Sensorimotor Psychotherapy and Somatic Experiencing.
I’ve been immersed in the mental health field for nearly a decade through personal work, crisis line experience, formal education and clinical training, advanced study, thousands of hours sitting with people, and ongoing consultation. I also have lived experience and understanding of how challenging family dynamics can shape us, what we do, and how relationships take the shape they do.
I grew up in Russia, studied and worked in Asia, lived for a time in Africa, and eventually settled in the US.
What I witnessed, and learned, is that people's behavior always makes sense in their own context. In relationship work, that shows up as you and your partner's family and relational cultures negotiating without a translator.
I am not here to tell you to go on date nights more often and use spreadsheets when feeling frustrated to communicate your feelings.
I know that deep down, arguments are not about the dishes, the work, the unpaid bill, or whose turn it is to take the dog out.
There is something underneath the anger, defensiveness, distance, shutdown that keeps driving you apart.
I imagine you've tried to solve it yourselves.
Let me help you find a different way forward.
Training and Education
My work is grounded in extensive, advanced training in Emotionally Focused Therapy, attachment trauma, Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, and Somatic Experiencing.
I am dedicated to providing quality services and am continuously learning and growing.
And yes, it's been a windy road that lead me to become a therapist.
Education
B.A. & M.A., Education — Omsk Teacher Training University
M.A., International Trade — Heilongjiang University
M.A., Clinical Mental Health Counseling — George Fox University
Advanced Clinical Training
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
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Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) Externship
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Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFCT) Core Skills
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Dr. Sue Johnson’s Intensive Course in Emotionally Focused Therapy: Attachment-Based Interventions for Couples in Crisis
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Advanced EFT Approaches for Attachment-Injured Couples: Affairs, Escalated/Withdrawn Couples, and Past Relational Injuries & Vulnerabilities
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Attachment Injury Repair Model
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Working with the Sexual Cycle — Group Consultation with George Faller, LMFT
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EFT Triage: Managing Betrayals and Relationship “Bleed-Outs” — ongoing Group Consultation with Dr. Lisa Palmer-Olsen
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Broken Bonds - Healing Relationship Betrayals
Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT)
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Emotionally Focused Individual Therapy (EFIT) Essentials (formerly Levels I & II)
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EFIT for Attachment Trauma: Transforming Psychological Wounds for Adults Traumatized as Children
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Emotionally Focused Therapy for Traumatized Individuals: Shaping a New Sense of Self
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EFIT for Grief: Attachment-Based Interventions for Loss, Growth, and Resilience
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EFIT for Anxiety
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EFIT Consultation: Mastering Skills and Overcoming Challenges in EFIT: A Consultation Process
Emotionally Focused Family Therapy (EFFT)
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EFFT & Changing Families
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EFFT: Catching & Processing Parental Shame
Trauma & Somatic Training
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Sensorimotor Psychotherapy — Level I
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Somatic Experiencing — Beginning I–III; Intermediate I
Crisis Intervention
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Crisis Line Volunteer & Training — Crisis Intervention and Risk Assessment