Meet your Therapist Steph
Meet Steph, Your Therapist in Minnesota and California.
What it’s like to start therapy
Most people arrive a little unsure of how to start.
Couples often sit down feeling tense but trying to hold it together, even if no one spoke a word to each other on the ride over. Families come in with different ideas about what the real issue is – some say it’s “them” others say it's “me”. Individuals sometimes spend the first few minutes of a session deciding what part of their life even makes sense to talk about first.
Underneath all of these situations is usually the same thing.
You care about your relationships. You care about your life. You’re tired of feeling misunderstood and stuck in the same cycle. You’re ready for change.
What I do in the room
Let me just say that I’m not a quiet observer in therapy. I’m not a blank slate therapist.
Instead, I pay attention to how you're interacting and reacting in real time.
Did you interrupt? Did you escalate? Did you shut down?
Then I name it.
Not in a harsh way. Not in a blaming way. But clearly enough that we can actually work with what’s happening instead of circling around it.
Hey there, I’m glad you’re here.
I’m assuming you’re here on my website not because life is going suuuper well.
You’re here because something feels tangled. The same conversations over and over. Someone says one thing, someone else hears something completely different, and suddenly it’s WWIII in your home.
Bad communication skills (or maybe just a lack of communication skills). Distance, Tension. Disconnection. That’s not the way you want your life, your family, and your home to be.
If that’s where you are, you’re not alone in it.
I’m Steph, and I work with couples, families, and individuals who are trying to understand what’s happening way underneath the surface, the things that show up in daily life, and figure out how to actually make meaningful change.
Specialties & Focus Areas
Individual Therapy
Clinical Supervision
Consultation Groups
What kind of therapist am I?
I’m the therapist you call when things feel messy, sideways, or just a little unhinged. And trust me, it’s not because I have a magic fix, BUT because I actually understand what it’s like when life and relationships feel that way.
I’m more like a grounded, thoughtful friend with strong boundaries than a fairy godmother with a magic wand. Therapy with me is meant to feel real and human. Someone who’s paying attention to what’s happening with you, not just nodding along like a robot.
As a wife and mom myself, I’ve learned a lot about collaboration the hard way, mostly through negotiating with tiny dictators and a husband who somehow “never sees the laundry basket”. I bring that same energy into the room with you.
Expect practical tools, honest conversations, and a gentle kind of challenge that actually helps you shift what’s not working.
What kind of therapy I offer
I provide family therapy in Minneapolis, MN, couples therapy in Minneapolis and San Francisco, and telehealth therapy for clients throughout California.
A lot of my work centers on relationships that feel stuck in repeating cycles - for individuals, couples and families.
I also work with people navigating discernment counseling situations, especially when couples are trying to decide what comes next but feel overwhelmed by how much is unresolved.
What therapy sessions actually feel like
Therapy with me is active and conversational.
We work with what’s happening in the room, not just what happened during the week. I’ll slow things down when things move too fast. I’ll ask direct questions when something needs more clarity. I’ll help translate what you, your partner, or your family members are trying to say when it comes out as frustration, shutdown, or defensiveness.
You’ll be amazed at how this labeling, feedback, and sincere hope for you can shift your perspective and your life.
A little more about me
As your therapist, I promise to always show up as a real person in the room. With real life experiences, just like you.
I’ll be engaged, direct, and warm. I’ll even use humor when it fits. And I’ll take your relationships seriously. Because I believe people are usually saying the most important things in indirect ways, and part of my job is helping bring that into focus so it can actually be worked with.
You don’t need to have everything figured out before reaching out. Most people don’t.
You just need to know something in your life, relationship, or family isn’t working the way it is, and you want help changing it.
If you’re ready for a therapist who can hold the heat and the hope, I am your person.