MY STORY
Hi there! I’m Nina.
I am passionate about:
Holding stories of loss with those who are grieving.
Providing a calming presence for individuals dealing with anxiety or chronic stress.
Getting uncomfortable alongside those who are navigating issues of faith and spiritual struggles.
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But my #1 passion is to see people get better, flourish, and find meaning.
HOW MY PASSION DEVELOPED...
When I was little, I had a neighbor who was a widowed elderly woman. I met them when her husband was still alive and I remember when he died. She lived two houses down from me. I didn’t have grandparents nearby growing up and my house was full of busy parents and active older siblings. I think her kids lived in another state. After her husband died, I went over to her house often. She always had time for me, she was always giving me stuff and teaching me things, but never expected anything from me. We would play cards, watch the birds in her backyard washing in the bird bath, look at all her little old trinkets around the house, have a snack, and just talk. I think that’s where my interest in grief/loss started for me. I can’t really explain it, but I loved spending time with her and hearing stories about her and her husband. As an adult looking back, I think I started to learn about the hills and valleys of life from her.
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Seeing people get better through the work that I do has been so life-giving for me. I think it’s important to know that about me as a therapist because although I do work with people for long periods of time when it’s needed, I do not believe that we should be in therapy for our lifetime. The process does take time and patience, but when clients show up every week to work on themselves, they get better. All I can ask from my clients is to show up. But I also know that sometimes that can be the hardest part.
HOW I LIVED OUT MY PASSION AS A THERAPIST...
It became important to me to be someone in my community who cares for people well. I also know I’m not going to be perfect at it. I want to be in the trenches. The hard and meaningful places in people’s lives. While it is difficult to be in these spaces, I believe it’s also a powerful place to be, allowing for change and transformation.
HOW I HELP OTHERS...
The first way I hope to be helpful is to be honest and upfront about what I can and cannot do for you. I can’t help everyone. I say that here to remind myself of that too. As much as I would like to, I just know that I am not going to be the right fit for every person.
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Once we believe we are a match, listening and gathering information is how we start. My favorite part of what I do is collaborating to develop a plan of attack together. I like to brainstorm and discuss options with you for how to approach the problems you’re facing. Much of therapy is about observing: taking time and space to look inward, to zoom out, and to pay attention to yourself and others in ways you haven’t before. This is why we say that it may seem like it gets worse before it gets better. You may notice more and feel more. Some of that can be good, but some of it is hard. But once we know what’s there, we know what we’re working with. And by taking a close look at these things, we often find what really matters to you. The good news is, you don’t have to face it alone. As we go along, we’ll go along together. And so I’ll say again since we will be working together and in it together, having a therapist that is a good fit for you is important.