About Mikaela

My personal therapeutic experiences are where I learned to navigate change and adapt to big grief in my life. In therapy, I learned to attune to the quiet wisdom always present and begin to make changes in alignment with my body, rather than against it. Centering ease in my life now allows me to relate to myself and others with greater grace and acceptance. 

My approach to therapy grows out of my personal experiences of change, formal education and training, and the deeply inspiring work with my clients as they navigate and embrace transformation.

I am non-binary and queer. I am passionate about working with queer people!

I earned my BS in Psychology and Biological Anthropology from Boston University, and my MA in Social Work from the University of California, Berkeley. I worked as a birth and postpartum doula for many years in Boston and California before becoming a psychotherapist specializing in sex therapy and perinatal mental health. 

My practice is grounded in the understanding that we live in a culture built on systemic injustice.  I am passionate about working with people as they reflect on the ways they are affected by and internalize systems of oppression.

When I am not working, I am probably out running on the trails with my dogs, reading, writing, tending to my plants, or spending slow time with people I love.

How I work:

direct questions; thoughtful reflection,

curiosity, discovery, being surprised,

thought partnership and going deep,

tracking feelings back to the body to find alignment, 

and looking at all that gets in the way of this goodness – specifically white supremacy culture

Evergreen Therapy’s ideology is informed by K Williams of the Discovery Initiative and the Developmental Model, and by the thought leadership of Audre Lorde, Pema Chödrön, adrienne maree brown, Robin Wall Kimmerer, Francis Weller, and Dr. Clarisa Pinkola Estés.

Specialized Training

  • 6 month sex therapy consultation with Martha Kauppi and Zoe Sipe

  • Advanced Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy Training: Postpartum Support International

  • Perinatal Mental Health Psychotherapy Training: Postpartum Support International

  • Sex Therapy: California Institute of Integrative Studies

  • Napa Infant Parent Mental Health Fellowship: University of California, Davis

  • CA-IFECMH Endorsed Infant/Family & Early Childhood Mental Health Specialist 0-3

  • Parent-Child Interaction (PCI) Feeding Scale: University of Washington, Parent-Child Relationship Programs at the Barnard Center; training February 21-23, 2020; certified reliable by the University of Washington PCR Programs on 3-3-20

  • Certified Newborn Observer: Brazelton Institute at Boston Children's Hospital, a Harvard Medical School Teaching Hospital

  • Child Parent Psychotherapy: University of California, San Francisco: Child Trauma Research Center

  • Infant Parent Psychotherapy: Infant Parent Program at Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital

  • Postpartum Doula Training: DONA International

  • Certified Birth Doula: Birthing Gently and DONA International

  • Masters in Social Welfare: University of California, Berkeley. Health Concentration. 

  • B.A. Psychology, Biological Anthropology: Boston University.

Professional Organizations

  • American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT)

  • California Association for Infant Mental Health

  • Postpartum Support International

Publications

“I Can’t Operate, that Boy Is my Son!”: Gender Schemas and a Classic Riddle

Under (Implicit) Pressure: Young Black and Latina Women's Perceptions of Contraceptive Care