About
“Compassion is not a relationship between the healer and the wounded. It's a relationship between equals... Compassion becomes real when
we recognize our shared humanity.”
- Pema Chödrön
Hi. I'm River. I use they/she pronouns.
I value equity, consent and boundaries in the therapeutic relationship and am committed to creating an anti-oppressive space that is safe(r) - especially for people who are made marginalized. As a white person, I'm committed to challenging white supremacy, both internally and externally, and anti-racism work will be my life-long practice. I also aim to unlearn and disrupt my own internalized oppressions.
My approach
My approach to therapy is both collaborative and holistic, centering around values of embodied presence, empathy, connection and deep listening. I’m not here to change you or fix you. In fact, I don’t think you are “broken” or that there's anything "wrong" with you. I’m here to create a nonjudgmental, accepting space for you to connect more compassionately with yourself.
I’m trauma-sensitive, social justice-oriented, and view therapy through an intersectional lens (bodymind, environment, culture, etc.). During our time together, we’ll likely look at the environmental factors (interpersonal, economic, systemic oppression, etc.) that create, and contribute to, individual/collective stress and trauma.
I draw from parts work, somatic approaches and mindfulness, adapting how we work together based on what feels most supportive to you.
I believe the therapeutic relationship is an important aspect of therapy. I put this belief into practice by: prioritizing self-care when I'm not in session and limiting client scheduling on a daily/weekly basis so that I'm able to show up fully for your sessions and be completely present with you.
I fell in love with meditation and mindfulness many years ago and have been practicing ever since. If you choose to integrate this into sessions, the mindfulness-based practices I offer are supported by research and
grounded in years of practice.
All meditation + mindfulness offered in session is neurodivergence-inclusive
We'll meet
online
Before beginning my private practice, I provided counseling and advocacy at a domestic violence center and have also worked in hospice care, supporting individuals and their families through the process of loss and grief.
Over the past 18+ years, I've met with people who have experienced (or are experiencing):
anxiety
depression
complex trauma
domestic violence
emotional abuse
oppression
loss and grief
alexithymia
aphantasia
sensory sensitivity/overload
ableism/internalized ableism
difficult or unexpected life transitions
anxiety/grief related to climate collapse
grief related to late stage capitalism
Autistic masking/unmasking
burnout and Autistic burnout
mirror touch synesthesia
chronic pain
chronic illness
abandonment
chronic stress
vystopia
My training
Above all else, I value lived experience - yours and mine. I'm insatiably curious and a lifelong learner who seeks to listen to and learn from the voices often left out of research, expensive trainings and academia. While "professional" trainings inform some my approach, I'm always listening to the wisdom of lived experience and exploring how I can make my practice (more) anti-colonial/anti-oppressive.
I provide an Autistic-Affirming perspective in therapy and believe Autism is a genetically-based neurotype, not a medical disorder. "I understand being autistic to be a cultural identity and recognize #actuallyautistic people as experts on their own culture." (quote from Janae Elisabeth, Trauma Geek)
It's not possible to list all of the trainings I've attended in the past 18+ years, but here are some that influence my approach:
TRAUMA + SOMATIC
Somatic EMDR — 60+ hour course with Dr. Arielle Schwartz, Kai Cheng Thom, Karee Powers, Sergio Ocampo, Dr. Scott Lyons + Dr. Bessel van der Kolk
DARe (Dynamic Attachment Repatterning Experience) — somatic + relational approaches to attachment
PARTS WORK + INTERNAL FAMILY SYSTEMS
IFS Online Circle: Foundations of the IFS Model — 6-month course with the IFS Institute
Treating Complex Trauma with Internal Family Systems — 2-day intensive with Frank Anderson, MD
Internal Family Systems and Complex Trauma + PTSD — Master Class with Dick Schwartz
IFS Institute Annual Conference — 2022
NEURODIVERGENCE-AFFIRMING
Becoming a Neurodivergent-Affirming Clinician — 6-week training with B Lourenco
Working with Autistic Clients — Dr. Nick Walker
The Inside of Autism — 7-week course with Kieran Rose, The Autistic Advocate
Understanding Autism through the Actually Autistic Lens — 3-day training through Penn State University
A Deep Dive into Adult ADHD: A Neurodiversity Affirming Approach for Mental Health Professionals — 2-day course with Embrace the Muchness
Emotional Regulation: Tools + Strategies for PDA Individuals — Masterclass with Kristy Forbes
Unpacking ADHD Stereotypes + Unpacking Autistic Myths and Misconceptions — Sonny Jane, Lived Experience Counsellor
MINDFULNESS + EMBODIMENT
Kripalu Yoga Teacher — 200-hour training
Certified Curvy Yoga Teacher
I chose to train in Kripalu (meaning “compassion”) Yoga because of its emphasis on compassion, self-care, presence over perfection + mindfulness in motion. I became certified in Curvy Yoga because I value offering therapeutic yoga that supports every body, shape, size + ability.
All therapeutic yoga, mindfulness + meditation I offer is with your consent + grounded in trauma-sensitive practices. Meditation + mindfulness offered in session is neurodivergence-inclusive.
MSW & Licensed Clinical Social Worker (FL, SW10050, NC C011278)
My identities
I grew up along the rocky and windswept shore of the Gitchi-Gami (Lake Superior). When I was 20, after experiencing several traumatic events, I packed my car with clothes, a tent and $200 and intuitively moved west to live in the mountains just outside of Seattle. This was a pivotal time in my life, (re)shaping much of who (and how) I am today.
I'm queer and nonbinary/agender. I’m AuDHD (late-identified) and understand neurodivergence as part of the naturally occurring diversity of human neurology. I’m committed to unlearning + disrupting internalized and externalized ableism.
I value equity and social justice. As a white person, I'm committed to challenging white supremacy, both internally and externally, and anti-racism work will be my life-long practice.
Writing and creating art began as ways to cope when I was in high school and over the years have become nourishing practices of self-care and personal expression. Spending time in nature is one of the most important ways I care for my overall wellbeing.
After living in the Blue Ridge Mountains of North Carolina for many years, I now live in North Central Florida on the occupied, stolen ancestral lands of the Potano, part of the Timucua peoples, who first inhabited this region. I honor the Seminole Tribe of Florida and the Miccosukee Tribe of Indians of Florida, who continue as stewards of the land and waters of Florida.
