About me…

I’m Charlie!

I’m currently living abroad and seeing clients who reside in California. I grew up in Portland, OR and lived in the Bay Area (San Jose, Oakland, and San Francisco) from 2013 thru 2024. I received a Masters of Social Welfare from UC Berkeley in 2017, and currently a registered Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California. I worked in community mental health at UCSF Alliance Health Project, serving the LGBTQIAP2+ community from 2017 thru 2024, and recently left the non-profit realm to move out of the US and pursue private practice.

I’m a dog lover and have a tiny chihuahua/ dachshund named Olive who may make an appearance on screen from time to time.

In my free time I enjoy arcades, game nights with friends, and being out in nature.

Theories that guide my practice:

My theoretical orientation comes from a combination of Narrative Therapy, CBT, STAIR, Harm Reduction, Motivational Interviewing and Relapse Prevention models, adapted with Critical Race Theory, Queer and Trans Theory, Liberation and community centered frames.

Values and Beliefs:

In order to hold differences I believe it is important for folk to know my values and framings because therapists are not blank slates and biases are very real.

My values and political orientation were formed from my own lived identities and ongoing education. I’m a white, queer, trans nonbinary person who uses they/them pronouns. I’m third generation US citizen from Jewish Ukrainian immigrants, and I’m Anti-Zionist. I believe in critical race theory, Black Lives Matter, Land Back, Anti-Zionism/Colonialism, Trans Rights, Harm Reduction framework of substance use, Poly and KINK positivity, Sex work is valid work, disability justice is critical, climate change is real, and the belief that basic human needs such as food, shelter, and healthcare and dignity are basic human rights.

I came out as queer in a high school that had yet to get a GSA and during the time of Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell. Later I came out as trans and began navigating the medical system in during the DSM-4, pre-insurance coverage, and necessity of informed consent and underground community care networks.

We do not need to agree on our values to work together. In the therapeutic space your goals are centered. I believe in cultural humility and ongoing learning/ re-learning for myself. I believe that my clients are the the experts on their lives and lived experiences and define their own goals, and that my role ranges from support to collaboration. I strive to create a space that holds intersectionality, examine isms, power and privilege, and acknowledgement of intergenerational trauma and resistance.