About

I earned my Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from University of Houston – University Park and my Master’s in Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) from Liberty University. My entire 27 year professional career has centered on designing, developing and implementing therapeutic services to children, youth and families.

Additionally, I secured my Trust Based Relational Intervention (TBRI®) Educator certification from The Karen Purvis Institute of Child Development at TCU. I am a Certified in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), a specialized trauma treatment intervention designed by Francine Shapiro, as well as, Trauma-Focused Equine Assisted Psychotherapy (TF-EAP) and Equine-Connected EMDR (EC-EMDR) through Natural Lifemanship. I completed Phase 1 certification in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics, developed by Dr. Bruce Perry of the Child Trauma Academy. I am also trained in Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapy. Lastly, I am a Certified SYMBIS Facilitator with Drs. Les and Leslie Parrott, which is to help couples with their relationship.

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor by the state of Texas. My license number is 72142.

I am a Christian, who practices the Integrative Model (McMinn and Entwistle). This means that I believe in holistically looking at an individual utilizing both psychology (God’s Works) and theology (God’s Word). However, my practice is respectful of each client’s traditions (even if they differ from my own) and I work diligently to partner with my clients to best understand what works for them and help them to understand what unmet needs drive their behavior and to develop and implement new skills and heal from past trauma wounds.

My counseling style is eclectic by design; however I view everything through the lens of trauma and its impact on my client’s neurobiology and their behavior. My goal is to help my clients heal from their past traumas through the use of Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and Mindfulness. Traumatic events occur in our lives all the time and are specific to each person, so what is traumatic for one; may not be traumatic for another. I define trauma as any event or situation (single event or reoccurring) that forces a person’s brain to reorganize around the adaptation created by an unsafe situation, person or environment.

I also utilize Family Systems Theories (Minuchin and Maderes). I believe that we are shaped by the systems we are members of (e.g. family of origin, current family, sphere of friends, work) and we must examine those systems, how we interact with them, what roles we play within them and how they impact and shape who we are. I also believe that our thoughts about our relationships, life’s situations and ourselves shape our behaviors.