I know, because that’s how I used it.
Growing up on an island off the coast of Maine, I learned early what so many of us discover in the face of relational trauma: survival often means striving. Achievement can become a shield, a measure of worth, and a way to feel safe in a world that feels unstable.
Even as I built a life that looked successful—becoming the first in my family to attend college, earning degrees from Brown University, and serving in the Peace Corps—I couldn’t escape the cracks in my foundation. The anxiety, the perfectionism, the relentless sense that it could all fall apart at any moment.
I’ve lived what so many ambitious women, so many determined overcomers experience: the push to succeed at all costs, even when it means sacrificing emotional stability or personal connection. I’ve also learned that more is possible—healing is possible.
It wasn’t until my late twenties that I turned inward. Spending nearly four years at the Esalen Institute, I immersed myself in trauma recovery, neuroscience, and personal transformation. This led to graduate training in clinical psychology, advanced certifications in developmental trauma and attachment theory, and eventually founding Evergreen Counseling—a multi-state, trauma-informed therapy center that serves hundreds of clients every week.
I specialize in helping ambitious women—those who’ve achieved better and sometimes even great things, survived incredible challenges, or both—heal relational trauma and rebuild their lives on solid psychological foundations.
These are women who:
I understand these challenges because I’ve faced them myself—and I’ve spent my career helping women like you transform survival-driven patterns into emotional security, self-trust, and thriving lives.
Relational trauma isn’t just a personal challenge—it’s a pattern that shapes every part of your life, from how you navigate relationships to how you define success.
With over 15,000 clinical hours guiding leaders, professionals, and high achievers, I bring decades of experience and advanced training in:
My work has been featured in Forbes, NBC, Business Insider, and other major outlets, and I regularly consult on the intersection of relational trauma, ambition, and sustainable well-being. As the founder of Evergreen Counseling, I lead a team of 15 clinicians who specialize in helping clients rebuild their psychological foundations.
My framework has emerged from both sides of the therapy room – from my own healing journey and from over 15,000 clinical hours guiding Silicon Valley tech leaders, physicians, lawyers, consultants, and other ambitious, determined-to-overcome women.
I know what it’s like to excel at work but struggle with relationships. To feel like the other shoe is always about to drop. To wake up each morning feeling like you’re facing Mount Kilimanjaro – one you don’t feel like you can climb, yet somehow can’t opt out of either. But I also know the profound difference between achievement that comes from compulsion versus choice, between success that drains versus fulfills, from living with a sound foundation versus one that’s gaping with cracks.
If you’re ready to join other ambitious women in building a psychological foundation as solid as your professional achievements, here are the ways we can work together:
For those living in California or Florida, I work with a select number of high-performing women in weekly therapy sessions through Evergreen Counseling. When my personal practice maintains a waitlist, my team of excellent, trauma-informed clinicians is ready to support you.
Launching in 2025, this transformative online program brings my framework to ambitious women worldwide. It’s the relational trauma recovery program I wish I’d had access to years ago – one that honors both ambition and emotional health, drive and wellbeing. Join the Waitlist.
• “Fixing the Foundations” Waitlist
First access when my signature program launches in 2025
• Therapy Consultation
Work with me or my team of trauma specialists serving clients in California or Florida
• Bi-Weekly Letters
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Warmly,
Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist #95719.
California Institute of Integral Studies, Masters in Counseling Psychology, 2012.
Brown University, dual BA’s, 2004.
Member, EMDRIA, #60710950
Florida Telehealth Provider (TPMF356)
Complex Trauma Certification Training Levels 1 & 2 (CCTP/CCTP-II) | Janina Fisher, Ph.D., and Bessel Van Der Kolk | (in progress)
Integrative Approach to Treating Trauma: Blending IFS, Sensorimotor, Mindfulness, Psychoeducation, and More | Janina Fisher | May 2022
Chronic Suicidality and Self Destructive Behavior | Janina Fisher | May 2022
Advanced PTSD Case Conceptualization | Stephanie Sacks, Ph.D. | May 2022
EMDR-Certified Therapist | EMDRIA | July 2021
Attachment-Focused EMDR – Healing Developmental Deficits and Adults Abused as Children | Laurell Parnell, Ph.D. | June 2021
EMDR Basic Training | Sonoma Psychotherapy Training Institute | December 2019