About

Hello! Thank you for visiting my counselor profile. Since 1995, I have had a dual career in mental health and physical fitness--learning early on the interactive nature of the mind, body, and spirit before it was common to hear about that connection. This holistic appreciation is how I approach my work with clients. I am currently licensed as a mental health counselor, working in private practice, and hold certifications in hypnotherapy, fitness (group fitness, group strength, yoga, step aerobics, cardio kickboxing, PiYo, and more), Reiki, and other modalities.

While I did receive very traditional training during my MA and Ph.D. programs in counseling, I focused on mind-body psychology. I have worked in inpatient hospitals, research and FDA testing sites, addiction treatment facilities, college counseling centers, and in a community holistic wellness center.

Originally I would have described my expertise as working with folks around stress management, self-esteem, body image, eating disorders, sports psychology, and depression. However, over the decades, I have gained more experience working with relationship issues and personality, positive psychology, trauma, anxiety, sexuality, and spiritual growth, and I feel comfortable working with clients around these issues and more.

I view counseling work as an honor; it is an honor to be someone people share their thoughts, feelings, and stories with. It is an honor to be a witness to the healing people experience. It is an honor I do not take for granted. Although I have the education and 25 years of counseling experience, I have learned that every person is unique, and therefore the true expert on you is YOU. So I ask a lot of questions to get a sense of what is happening in my clients' worlds. I listen deeply, often reflecting back what I hear with a client-centered approach. I see my role as counselor as helping support my clients to make their own choices...to get "unstuck," to set realistic goals, meet them, and celebrate their accomplishments, and to challenge them to continue their growth. I am not here to judge--when I am perfect, then I can judge someone else. But until then, I approach this work with humility and respect.

In addition to this client-centered focus, I also use cognitive-behavioral techniques and infuse mindfulness work into many sessions. I like to assign homework and connect clients to other resources when appropriate. I may also use my holistic framework to get a broader sense of what is happening and offer wider support. Most recently, I have completed training in polyvagal-informed counseling, which can be especially helpful for those dealing with trauma, grief, or loss. I also enjoy using guided visualizations and hypnotherapy techniques to facilitate healing.

Personally, I am very open and intuitive in how I work. I try to do the best job I can for every client, and feel so grateful to be able to be a counselor. While it is important to understand the past, I do not think it is incredibly helpful for people to spend months or even years in therapy talking about their pasts. I am more focused on what is happening in the present and how we can make it better in order to move into a fulfilling future. I believe that every living creature has the right to experience life to the fullest--filled with joy--and I truly want that for everyone I work with.

---

Just a note about scheduling: right now: I have more flexibility in scheduling live chats, so that is one of the best ways we can work together. I have less availability for phone or video chats. If you do not see a time that works for you, please let me know and I will let you know if anyone cancels or if there are other times that have opened up.

A note about responding to messages: Sunday through Thursday, I will check messages on this site at least twice a day and respond as soon as possible if you write, but sometimes there will be a short delay depending on schedules. I am not available on Saturdays and not usually on Fridays.