About

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) and a Chemical Dependency Professional Trainee (CDPT) in Washington State. I have over 6 years experience working in mental health. I have 5 1/2 years working in community mental health where I worked with a variety of diagnoses in the DSM-5. In April 2018, I started my own private practice in Mountlake Terrace, WA. I am now setting up a TeleHealth practice to further assist my clients and have the opportunity to reach more clients. I have a Bachelor's Degree in Human Services from Western Washington University in 2006 as well as a Master's Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Capella University in 2014. In 2017, I completed all of my courses to be a Chemical Dependency Professional. I have completed all of my coursework, additional training, and have taken the national exam for this certification. All that is left is a brief internship, which I will be working on in 2019, so I can have the full credential as a Chemical Dependency Professional (CDP)- without the trainee part.

In addition to my general education, I have taken specialty courses in working with trauma clients, LGBT+ clients, DBT, various ages and diagnoses. Some of the disorders I have worked with include: depression, mood disorders, anxiety, PTSD/trauma, OCD, Panic Disorder, phobias, schizophrenia/schizoaffective disorder, ADHD, personality disorders (specialty training in Borderline Personality Disorder- BPD), Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD), Adjustment Disorders, substance abuse, family issues, interpersonal relationship issues, and life stressors to name some.

I have 2 counseling styles that I use primarily. The first approach I use with every client is called the Person-Centered approach. This approach focuses primarily on building a good therapeutic relationship with my clients, which is essential to treatment and making progress. The main principles of the Person-Centered approach means that I will be genuine, show unconditional positive regard for my clients, and support clients in any way they need. The second approach is called Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) which covers the following topics: mindfulness, interpersonal effectiveness, emotion regulation, radical acceptance, and distress tolerance. This is a great approach for a number of disorders. I have over 3 years facilitating a DBT Skills Group, which I am currently running. In addition to these primary counseling styles, I also use some Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), workbooks, psychoeducation, and others methods depending on the client and their needs. I tailor each treatment approach based on each client individually.

I am currently taking new clients. I would love to speak to you about possible treatment with me. Please let me know if you have any questions!