You deserve to be happy. I am here to be an empathic partner on your journey to obtaining greater happiness, balance, and success. If you are like most of my clients you may have experienced some painful event in the past that keeps you stuck; others need help with anxiety and depression that is blocking them from living the joyful life to which they aspire. Many of my clients say past traumas prevent them from having the type of deep fulfilling relationships which they are worthy of. These clients often describe therapy with me as being relaxed and friendly -- like talking with a confidant -- and several have experienced gains through our sessions that they have not experienced in past attempts at therapy.

As a board-certified Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor; and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional, I believe that therapy should leverage the latest science to create solutions and healing that help people overcome the past and live a more powerful life. It is my goal to provide you with a safe and non-judgmental place to get to know yourself better and tap into the inner-ability you already have to rise above both past and present struggles. I strive to be a non-pathologizing practitioner, in that I believe that people most often have the internal ability to transcend a diagnosis. Likewise, I am experienced in working with clinical issues stemming from insomnia, anxiety, depression, panic, PTSD, dissociation, ADHD, mood state changes, low self-esteem, eating and body image issues, as well as past childhood adversity and abuse.

I earned a Master of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Walden University, in Minneapolis, Minnesota; and I was trained in Narrative Therapy at the Vancouver School for Narrative Therapy, in British Columbia. Specific to trauma care, I am experienced with EMDR, Narrative Exposure Therapy, and I am also trained as an IFS-informed (parts therapy) clinician. Earlier in my career, I completed a bachelor’s degree in International Political Media at American University, in Washington, D.C., where I found fervor for hearing how people’s stories shape the world. I later went on to serve as a newswire correspondent, working across six countries -- including international crisis zones -- where I helped many enduring trauma begin to heal by sharing their story. In addition to my counseling work, I also am a broadcast correspondent for the world’s oldest newswire.

With a history as a long-time human rights advocate, I was privileged to serve as a leader in the U.S. anti-bullying and safer schools movement -- which has led to my passion for helping LGBTQ+ people, and others, overcome the toxic effects of bullying, harassment, and discrimination. To do this, I embrace a solution-focused and narrative-based social justice approach to psychotherapy to work with adolescents and adults from all backgrounds. This integrated approach seeks to separate the person from the problem and address existing challenges while simultaneously celebrating the whole individual for who they are and how they impact the world.

People seek therapy for many different reasons. You may be carrying the effects of trauma, struggling with depression or anxiety, experiencing loss or grief, or feeling overwhelmed by emotions that are difficult to manage. You may find yourself caught in patterns involving substances, pornography, relationships, food, or avoidance. You might also be facing a medical concern, burnout, a major life transition, or difficulty with motivation, organization, and follow-through. At other times, there may not be one defining concern—you may simply recognize that something in your life needs to change.

I bring 36 years of professional social work experience to my clinical practice. My background spans medical social work and a broad continuum of behavioral health care, including inpatient psychiatric treatment, partial hospitalization and intensive outpatient programs, addiction treatment, private practice, university counseling, and work as a therapist within a bariatric weight-management program. Across these settings, I have provided individual, couples, family, and group psychotherapy for a wide range of mental health, substance-use, relational, behavioral, medical, and life-adjustment concerns.

I currently serve as the Director of Student Counseling Services at a health sciences university. This role has given me a particular understanding of the pressures experienced by medical and health professions students, including performance anxiety, perfectionism, executive functioning challenges, burnout, imposter feelings, relationship concerns, and the emotional demands of preparing for a healthcare career.

Areas of Practice

My clinical experience and interests include:

• Trauma, posttraumatic stress, and childhood adversity

• Loss, grief, and bereavement

• Depression, anxiety, and mood disorders

• Difficulty managing intense emotions

• Executive functioning challenges

• Substance misuse, addiction, recovery, and return-to-use prevention

• Problematic pornography use and compulsive sexual behavior

• Shame, low self-worth, and persistent negative self-beliefs

• Couples, family, communication, intimacy, and relationship concerns

• LGBTQ+ identity and related concerns

• Performance anxiety, perfectionism, burnout, and imposter feelings

• Chronic illness and health-related behavior change

• Major life transitions and personal growth

My Approach to Therapy

My approach is trauma-informed, strength-based, person-centered, and collaborative. My style is warm, active, practical, and goal-oriented. I strive to create an environment where you can speak openly, understand the patterns affecting your life, develop useful skills, and identify meaningful and realistic ways of moving forward.

I view you as the expert on your own life. I bring clinical experience, perspective, support, and practical tools while helping you recognize your strengths, clarify what matters to you, and make informed choices about your treatment and your life.

I understand that change can feel threatening, particularly when familiar behaviors have provided comfort, a sense of control, protection, or emotional relief. These behaviors often developed as understandable attempts to cope with distress or meet legitimate needs, even if they are no longer meeting those needs in helpful or sustainable ways.

The therapeutic fit is an essential part of counseling. Therapy is a real relationship within professional boundaries, and some of the patterns affecting your other relationships may eventually appear in our work. You might worry about disappointing me, find it difficult to disagree, assume that you are being judged, or hesitate to express what you need. These reactions are not failures. We can approach them with curiosity and compassion and use them to better understand how past experiences may be influencing present relationships.

My many years of facilitating therapy groups have reinforced my understanding that therapy is not a one-directional process. The therapist is also part of the therapeutic relationship and must be willing to listen, receive feedback, and consider how their responses affect the work. I encourage clients to tell me what feels helpful, what may not be working, and when something feels misunderstood or overlooked.

I believe therapy should offer hope while remaining honest about how change unfolds. A therapist does not hold all the answers or create change on another person’s behalf. Therapy is a collaborative process, and change looks different for each person. Its pace may be influenced by current circumstances, available support, sense of safety, and the depth, duration, and complexity of what someone has experienced.

Progress is rarely a straight line, and meaningful change may begin with steps that appear small from the outside. Moving forward does not require minimizing what you have endured. My role is to help you approach difficult realities with greater self-compassion, recognize genuine progress, learn from setbacks, and move toward a life with less unnecessary suffering and a greater sense of meaning, connection, and purpose.

Treatment Approaches and Specialized Training

My work draws from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Person-Centered Therapy, Strength-Based and Solution-Focused Therapy, trauma-informed care, grief therapy, addiction treatment and recovery support, and relational, narrative, and experiential approaches.

Experiential therapy moves beyond talking about a concern by creating opportunities to explore and practice new responses during the session. This may include therapeutic metaphors, storytelling, structured activities, visual or physical props, and “real-play” exercises resembling situations you may encounter in daily life. These approaches can help you recognize reactions as they occur, practice responding differently, and translate insight into meaningful changes outside of therapy. When appropriate, I also use humor and thoughtful self-disclosure to build connection and encourage openness.

I am trained in STAIR, or Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Regulation. This evidence-based trauma treatment helps individuals strengthen their ability to manage intense emotions, establish boundaries, communicate effectively, and develop healthier relationships.

I am also a Certified BLAST® Practitioner. BLAST®, or Bilateral Analysis and Stimulation Treatment, is a focused, evidence-informed treatment that uses bilateral eye movements to support the processing of distressing memories and emotionally significant experiences. It may be used for trauma-related distress, childhood adversity, grief, anxiety, panic, phobias, shame, guilt, relationship injuries, and difficult life transitions. Although BLAST® shares some similarities with EMDR, including the use of bilateral eye movements, it is a distinct therapeutic approach with its own process and protocol.

Inclusive and Affirming Care

Mental health is influenced by personal experiences as well as cultural, familial, social, and systemic factors. I work to understand each client within the context of their identity, relationships, community, and lived experience.

As a member of the LGBTQ+ community, I bring both personal awareness and clinical understanding to the ways sexual orientation, gender identity, stigma, discrimination, family acceptance, and belonging can affect emotional well-being. I am committed to creating an affirming therapeutic space where clients feel seen and respected and do not have to minimize or defend the parts of themselves that matter most.

Education

Master of Social Work, Syracuse University
Bachelor of Social Work, Roberts Wesleyan College

Licensure and Certifications

Licensed Clinical Social Worker, Illinois
Licensed Independent Social Worker–Clinical Practice, South Carolina
Board Certified Diplomate in Clinical Social Work
National Certified Addiction Counselor–Level I
Certified Dialectical Behavior Therapy Professional
Certified Clinical Trauma Professional–Level II
Certified BLAST® Practitioner

Additional Clinical Training

Extensive training in Motivational Interviewing
Extensive training in the LifeStar Therapy© intensive outpatient treatment model for addictive and compulsive behaviors