General/Education:

I am a pilgrim in progress, a follower of Jesus, a life-time student of C. S. Lewis, a mental health counselor, and an avid lover of stories. I am grateful to have a Bachelor of Science in Religion from Liberty University, and both a Master's of Divinity and a Master of Arts in Counseling from Reformed Theological Seminary.

Experience:

I have experience serving individuals and families from a variety of backgrounds working through such issues as: general life difficulties, grief, trauma, gender and sexuality, addiction, faith and spirituality, anxiety, depression, and behavioral disorders (ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, etc.).  

My Mission:

To offer competent, relational care to individuals from a holistic and clinical perspective with respect to their current distress, storied history, and future goals. My Approach I counsel from an evidence-based and existentially informed model of mental health counseling. This means that I am concerned not only with modifying unwanted behavior, but also with addressing the root sources of that behavior. I believe in the core dignity of every person, a belief rooted in my Christian faith, which allows me to work with people from a variety of cultural and spiritual backgrounds, Christian or otherwise. I work hard to build relationships with my clients in which they feel safe and secure to reflect on their lives.

Specific Theories:

I have experience and training in: Existential Psychotherapy, Emotionally Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Acceptance, and Commitment Therapy Trauma Informed Therapy, Grief Counseling Child and Play Therapy(My Story So Far) I am the happy product of a well-meaning (though sometimes misguided) fundamentalist Christianity, a single mother, and an imagination baptized by the likes of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis.

I also pursued a Master of Arts in Counseling from RTS which I completed in 2023. As I have gained experience both in Christian ministry and in mental health counseling, I have come to believe that there is no "magic bullet" for wholeness. But I believe that through rigorous honesty, kindness, and guided self-reflection, the path to healing might be illuminated for an individual in the context of a trusted relationship - such as one can find with a mental health counselor. Ultimately, I agree with  poet Cyril Tourner: "Joy is a subtle elf; I think one's happiest when he forgets himself.” We are most at peace when we are able to forget our "self" and to vulnerably offer that self to our fellow man. And so together I hope we might offer curiosity towards your story, gentle renegotiation of unwanted behaviors and thoughts, all to the end of true freedom and self-forgetfulness. I would be honored to serve you!