My practice is animated by three questions:
How can we offer a restorative presence in people’s lives, respecting their personal path, dignity, and power?
How can we work toward the transformative edge of reform* in the systems we operate within?
How can we sustain ourselves throughout our career, present in both generational and immediate work?
*Demand Everything by Steve Williams
The primary focus of our time together:
The primary purpose of my time with you is to work with you to build greater awareness around your foundation as a clinician: the quality of your presence with others, practices to strengthen your non-judgmental attention, and awareness of your own congruence and grounding. A bias I’ll make plain: I believe that there are ample opportunities to strengthen any number of clinical modalities - however the clinicain’s own meaning-making is too often unattended.
I believe that clinical consultation is a critical professional collaboration, a necessary component to sustainable and ethical practice.
Note: For those who feel called to social work as a vocation because of your faith or spiritual beliefs, I am interested in exploring where belief may support or hinder your best presence with others. I am also interested in using faith as a resource to advance justice. I am a student of the Christian contemplative tradition, a lineage that holds deep resonance with the mystical teachings of every world religion.
We might be a good fit for one another if:
You are likewise enlivened by the above questions
You are seeking an orientation that supports your sustainable long-term work within the social work field
Your work is related to homelessness, housing, or youth/young adult issues
You hold emergence and both/and thinking as core approaches
You may be a person of faith - broadly defined - seeking greater meaning and grounding in your work
You are interested in the questions your life is asking of you
I am less likely to be a good fit for individuals primarily interested in direct coaching for the LICSW exam.