Healing isn’t just for when things fall apart.

Many people come to therapy not because everything is falling apart, but because something inside them keeps asking to be heard. Life may look okay - sometimes even successful from the outside. You’re functioning. Showing up. Thinking deeply about yourself and your relationships. And yet internally, something feels unsettled, disconnected, or just… not quite right. Maybe relationships feel heavier or more complicated than they should. Maybe work has become too tied to your sense of worth. Maybe old emotional patterns keep resurfacing, even though you’ve already done a lot of self-reflection. Or maybe you can’t quite explain it.

I work with individuals and couples who want to understand themselves and their relationships in a deeper, more honest way.

Many of my clients are thoughtful, insightful people navigating identity, relationships, meaning, and the desire to feel more aligned with who they truly are. The couples I work with deeply care about one another but find themselves stuck in repeating patterns and conversations that go in circles, moments where one partner feels unseen while the other feels misunderstood, or a growing distance that neither person quite knows how to bridge. This is where I step in.

How I show up in the room: I’m warm, grounded, and relational - but I’m also direct. I’m not a “smile and nod for 50 minutes” kind of therapist. Once we’ve built trust, I genuinely enjoy gently challenging my clients. If I notice patterns, I’ll name them. If something doesn’t quite add up, we’ll slow down and explore it together. I believe real growth happens when compassion and honesty exist side by side. You’ll probably notice that I’m very human in session. I laugh. I’m casual. I’m real. I sometimes nerd out or get excited when something clicks, especially when you see yourself differently or when new clarity or self-trust emerges. I care deeply about this work, and about the people who sit across from me. My hope is that by bringing my full humanity into the space, it makes it easier for you to bring yours too.

A meaningful focus of my work is sexual identity and relational complexity, with a specialty in bisexuality and mixed-orientation relationships. My doctoral dissertation centered on bisexual identity, and I support individuals and couples navigating identity exploration, coming out later in life, and building safety and understanding in their sexual identity differences. This work is something I feel incredibly passionate about.

I consider it an honor to sit with people as they deepen self-understanding, strengthen their relationships, and begin to feel more at home within themselves.

Areas of Focus

• Individuals and couples, primarily ages 20 to 40

• Identity, self-worth, and self-compassion

• Work identity, burnout, and meaning beyond productivity

• Attachment styles, boundaries, and relational patterns

• Communication and emotional intimacy

• LGBTQ+ individuals and relationships

• Bisexuality and mixed-orientation couples

• Trauma

Therapeutic Modalities

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR)

• Attachment-Based Therapy

• Humanistic, Client-Centered Therapy

• Emotionally Focused Therapy for Couples

• Gottman Method Couples Therapy

Education

Ph.D., Alliant International University
M.A., Alliant International University
B.A., Loyola Marymount University
Double Major: Psychology and Women’s Studies

ELLIE SEES CLIENTS AT THE UNIVERSITY HEIGHTS LOCATION