Bio

About me

 

When I was a young girl, I said I wanted to be a Social Worker. I didn’t really know what Social Workers did, but I knew they helped others and that’s what I wanted to do with my life.

Throughout elementary, junior high, and high school I was an average student. I am the fifth of seven children and didn’t really sense that anyone believed I could go to college, much less believing that myself. So, after high school I started working various office jobs focused on accounting skills. Here, I was fortunate there were people along the way who took me under their wings and taught me.

While I had the guidance and intelligence to do well and take pride in the job I was doing, that was not what my heart told me I should be doing. When I was about 35 years old someone close to me observed that I just didn’t seem satisfied with the work I was doing and encouraged me to go to college.

At 36 years old, there I was attending Community College and for the first time in my life I was doing well in school. I earned an Associates Degree, Bachelor’s Degree, and Master’s Degree and went on to earn my associate and then independent Social Work licenses.

Through these experiences my desire to help others grew into the desire to empower others. When clients honor me by opening up it is the supreme gift. Holding space for others may feel comforting to them, but I feel it is also a sacred offering to me.

Feeling that you’re capable of more and not emerging as your true authentic self leads to underlying and sometimes unmistakable unease. Please allow me the honor of assisting you to find the version of you that lies hidden beneath trauma, negative belief systems, and societal messages that guide us away from ourselves.

 

My Approach/Process

 

Therapy is a unique process so it’s vital that you feel comfortable talking to the person you’re going to share deep personal information about yourself. Sometimes you end up sharing secrets you’ve held for years and haven’t told anyone before.

We will start with a 15-minute free telephone consultation to determine how I might meet your needs and whether you feel I am the right fit for you. Our first appointment will consist of what’s called a base assessment, giving you the opportunity to share areas of concern, what troubles you, and where you struggle the most. We will discuss your emotional and mental health, but also other possible contributing factors such as medical considerations, your connection and interactions with family and close supports, what’s important to you such as education and/or employment and interests, any cultural or spiritual considerations, and finally looking at your strengths and perceived limitations.

I value not only assuring that my clients feel comfortable sharing without fear of judgement or assumptions, but I also do my best to tailor our sessions toward the stage of life you are experiencing now. We will work together to set goals for treatment and increase coping skills and strategies to assist you with better managing your difficulties, as well as engaging in other treatment approaches such as grief processing, EMDR, psychoeducation, and motivational interviewing.

*Please Note that all sessions are conducted by telehealth and are paid at the time of services with a credit or debit card. I do not accept insurance but will provide a superbill at your request so you can submit the claim to insurance as an out of network provider.