About

First, welcome- take a deep breath and know that you are not alone.
Good listener, understanding, non- judgmental are all qualities I embody to ensure everyone I work with does not feel judged- but understood and heard and I hope you find that here.
I am a born and raised “ Yooper” here in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula and other than a few years spent away for Graduate school I have lived in the U.P. Although I am not one for winter activities you can find me outside all the other 3 seasons of the years enjoying the beautiful area.
I earned my Bachelors in Social work from Northern Michigan University and my Masters in Social Work from Grand Valley State University. While in school I worked as a care aid serving mentally ill adults, a waitress and in customer services at retail stores. For my final internship in Graduate school I spent a year working as an intern in an Emergency Department in a low-income neighborhood that also served as the surrounding areas Trauma center. While there I primarily worked with individuals who were mentally ill, nursing home placements and often traumas (car accidents, gun and gang violence). For the past 5 years I have worked as a Qualified Mental Health Professional working for the Department of Corrections- while most of my time is spent working with individuals who suffer from mental illness and adjustment issues/concerns a majority of my experience is facilitating groups for individuals who committed sexual offenses. I take great pride in being able to be objective even in the most heinous of times while building rapport with my clients while working towards a common goal- a better life.
My main background is working from the Cognitive Behavioral Model which works on changing the way ones thinks about a situation and in return changing the thoughts and feelings as well. I am a firm believer that thoughts lead to feelings lead to behavior and if as individuals we can change our initial thoughts, our feelings and behavior that follows will ultimately change as well- for the better that is.