Meet Kali
My Approach
I believe that each of us knows what is right for us; what is the best path and what we need to heal. But our life experiences, upbringing and societal expectations can interfere with our ability to get in touch with our inner knowing. Therapy gives us a place to find ourselves and our inner truth. A place to free ourselves from our conditioning and flourish in living from our true nature.
Many years of yoga practice and meditation combined with my MA in Counseling have led me to realize how important it is for clients to pay attention to their physical bodies in therapy and also to bring in their spiritual beliefs. I consider bringing the whole person into therapy one of the cornerstones of my work and a crucial part of helping clients find healing.
Therapy is not a one size fits all. We will figure out what is the best way for you to work and at what pace. I will always be in there with you. I believe that lasting change happens through gentleness, not harshness or fear. This doesn't mean I won't challenge you, but you will know that you have an ally and are safe to explore whatever you need. I will bring all the tools I have from over 35 years in practice to support you.
My Background
I have been practicing as a psychotherapist since I received my Masters Degree in Counseling in 1989. I began my career working in the fields of addiction and HIV and AIDS. Working in the field of HIV and AIDS gave me the opportunity to work with a broad range of people, as so many different groups became affected by this disease. I worked intensely in the LGBTQ+ community, did a lot of cross-cultural counseling, particularly with African, Spanish and Italian clients. I also spent a great deal of time working with families. Issues of living with illness and disability, uncertainty, death and dying and grief were some of the many issues my clients faced.
Because of the large numbers of families we were seeing, in 1994 I completed a post-graduate diploma in Family Therapy. This helped me better assist the clients and support my team. More recently, I have taken courses in Emotionally Focused Couples therapy and courses run by the Gottman Institute to increase the tools I have to offer struggling couples.
During my MA program, I experienced my first yoga class. Over the years, I developed greater interest in yoga, spirituality, and how we store emotions in our bodies. When I left the AIDS field for private practice in 1998, I began exploring the mind-body connection both in psychotherapy and in yoga.
In 2002, I began working in a community college in London, UK. The clients there were predominately inner city, low income students. There were many young people who had failed in the regular school system and were trying to get the equivalent of a high school diploma. There were also older students returning to education as well as a large number of students who were migrants learning English. So many of these clients were dealing with anxiety and depression on top of their difficult circumstances. A history of poverty and trauma often got in the way of their being able to have the lives they wanted. During this period, I began training as a Clinical Hypnotherapist as a way to further support these clients. Read More about Clinical Hypnotherapy.
In 2005 after 20 years in the UK, I returned to the USA and teamed up with a Denver doctor who specializes in Bariatric medicine (the medical specialty dealing with obesity and weight problems). I continue to partner with bariatric doctors in Denver and as a result, I see a lot of clients with eating disorders. Many of my clients struggle with compulsive overeating, obesity and binge eating disorder. And many of my clients have suffered severe trauma and abuse.
In 2015, I participated in a life changing process called Path of Love. This is a week long intensive retreat that combines group work, movement and meditation to bring about transformation. Since then I have become a facilitator in that process and enjoy this as another way to bring change into people’s lives.
I have been on a life long journey to heal myself and others. I bring all of my experience, both personal and professional into my work with clients. I believe in the resilience of the human spirit and in our ability to heal and thrive.