About

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and have been licensed since 1993; however, I've worked in the field of Social Work since 1986, starting with an undergraduate internship with DSS. My formal experience, however, officially started in 1990 after receiving a Masters in Social Work. I have worked in both inpatient and outpatient settings, including a state psychiatric hospital in NC, a medical hospital in SC, on a military base in VA and at several outpatient agencies in PA. Due to my husband's job, I have moved to and worked in four states over the past 29 years. I have worked with children with behavioral issues; long-term psychiatric males; hospice patients; children with developmental issues; State and Federal Inmates; Military service men, women, children, couples and families; domestic violence; addictions; and people dealing with grief, anxiety and PTSD.

I continue to attend a variety of seminars to keep my SW License current and have attended many medical, psychological, social work and ethics conferences in order to become more socially & culturally diverse and to enhance my knowledge outside of my typical wheelhouse, which is long-term psychiatric patients; however, I am not currently working in an inpatient setting.

I look forward to learning about my clients' needs and typically operate with "client goals" in mind, using a variety of clinical techniques. I prefer to assess the individual first and then include them in the decision-making for which therapeutic work to engage. If that doesn't work, we move to something else. It's important to build rapport with a client before jumping into therapy. As Stephen Covey would say, "Diagnose before prescribing."

Fun facts about me: I have been teaching for the past 11 years in the Home School network in SC, and have taught many different classes, from Creative Crafting to Egyptology to Basic Sign Language to Creative Writing to The Solar System and a few others (I have many interests). I have also taught Psychology 101 and Sociology 101 at a community college in NC. Lastly, I have published two children's books: "Turtle Gliding" in 2009 and "Why Does God Pull Teeth?" in 2018, with each book being inspired by one of my children.

I respect anyone who has the courage to seek counseling, because none of us can do life without other people and sometimes their help. Therapy is like going to the gym. Sometimes you dread the thought of going, but once you get there, you're glad you went!