About

I research and write about what it's like to live with an autistic brain, body, and mind. My first book, Embodying Autism - co-written with Martha Sweezy - will be published January 2nd, 2026. I am currently working on my second book. I love to work with all neurologies but particularly enjoy working with my fellow autistics.

My Education:

I have a BA in Liberal Studies from Arizona State University and an MA in Embodiment Studies from Goddard College. I am a strong advocate of online education, having completed both my BA and MA virtually. For a system like mine, being in a classroom can be a challenging experience. I am trained and certified in Internal Family Systems and assist in Level 1, 2, and 3 trainings for the IFS Institute. In 2025, I guest taught for the Level 2 Intimacy from the Inside Out program, designed for using IFS with couples, as well as the online Continuity Circle. I have presented at their annual conference twice and will be offering a full-day workshop again in 2025. I regularly teach workshops to clinicians around the world. I am also a trained and fully certified Pilates instructor. Although I no longer teach classes, what I learned from a decade of working with clients and the wisdom of the body stayed with me and informs my work today. I recently began a Paddleboard Instructor program, an education of a different sort, and hope to lead paddleboard IFS retreats one day.

What I do:

Receiving a diagnosis of autism can be challenging at first. Most of us will have had our experiences invalidated, resulting in parts that carry shame about being different. I combine the latest neuroscience with Internal Family Systems to provide support and give you the tools you need to understand how your autistic brain, body, and mind perceive and respond to the world around you. IFS is a relational model that teaches us to connect to the parts of us responsible for many of our feelings, reactions, and behaviors. A mindfulness-based practice, IFS is most effective when practiced regularly. I teach clients how to use the steps of the IFS model so that, in between our time together, parts stay connected and slowly learn that they don't need to work so hard.

IFS is a beautiful and effective modality for learning who we are, but in an autistic body, sensory processing and its impact on our nervous system play a huge role in how we feel, influencing how our parts respond. I help my clients understand the cause of their dysregulation, whether it be felt as agitation, anxiety, or anger. Once we understand whether what we're feeling is neurological or emotional, we can then find ways to bring the system back into balance, either through tools like IFS or Polyvagal Theory, or by listening to the wisdom of your autistic system.

In our sessions, I weave in:

Neuroscience-informed tools to support regulation and reduce overwhelm
Internal Family Systems
Sensory and somatic awareness to better understand your body’s signals
Predictive processing insights to make sense of why things feel “too much” or “not enough”
Creative, visual, and narrative methods to explore your inner landscape in ways that work for your brain

I offer consultation to other clinicians as well as small and large group trainings.

In my free time:

When not working, I love to be with my family, my assistance dog Magnus, and our new puppy, Mabel, preferably outdoors. I am a wife and mum to three kids, one of whom has autism. I come from a family of autistics, including an undiagnosed mother whose story inspires my work. I enjoy long periods of silence, darkness, staring at repetitive shapes, hiking and running, paddleboarding, teaching, soft clothing, talking to the dogs, flowers, being my own boss, learning, watching Stranger Things, writing, notebooks, texting my friends, emojis (what did we do before emojis?), talking with my clients and having as much routine and sameness as possible. I don't like tight clothing, too much light, noisy bars and restaurants, surprises, crunchy foods, extended eye contact, speaking on the phone, dirty floors, being tired, large groups, and not having time to do all the things I like.

Me in my preferred environment.