Lion & Lotus Healing

A lion symbolizes strength, bravery and protection, as well as courage in challenging injustice and human suffering. The lotus is a flower that grows in mud, emerges unsoiled, and is often representative of rebirth and liberation. A lotus can be symbolic of the infinite possibilities of transformation. Lion & Lotus Healing honors the waters we grow in, and their influence on our understanding of ourselves and the world, as well as the fierceness and bravery associated with healing, challenging oppression and injustice, and acting as a protector and advocate, for ourselves & others. We are all born with the innate capacity to feel and be connected to our needs, without judgement or shame. Experiences in life, and sociocultural messages, all inform and influence our understanding of ourselves, our feelings of worthiness, and our connection with these deeper parts of ourselves. Sometimes, in experiences of trauma or varying life experiences, detaching from our emotions is necessary for our survival; this can increase experiences of anxiety and depression, as well as impact connection, with self & others. You are not broken, you were born with innate wisdom, and therapy can support the process of reconnecting with the insight that is your birthright, sinking into this deeper inner knowing, and living a life rooted in authenticity, self-trust and self-compassion. I am a therapist with over a decade of experience working with individuals impacted by experiences of trauma, depression and anxiety, who have also experienced institutional trauma and betrayal, moral injury and systemic oppression. My clinical lens is trauma and racial justice informed, strengths-based, and responsive to supporting you at all stages of life. My theoretical orientation is integrative to support your areas of desired growth and exploration, and highly informed by utilizing an anti-oppression, pro-liberation lens, rooted in liberation psychology, intersectional feminist theory, systems theory and humanistic psychology. I also have interest in all mindfulness-based approaches, and my framework and perspective is also influenced by the brilliant work of Pema Chodron, bell hooks and Angela Davis.