I was 18 years old when it was first suggested to me that perhaps I should get sober. Months later as I was heading off to university, I made sure to pack a case of beer. I sincerely believed that the impact of my use was felt by me, alone, and that I was a better person for it. It would take another 14 years until I found recovery and it would be a family member’s experience that inspired me. Throughout that time it was a necessary part of my process to connect with those that were supportive where I felt shame, and encouraging when I felt disappointment.

I hold my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adler University and am a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. I hold my Bachelor’s in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Film from Hollins University. I have worked in advertising and have facilitated trauma groups, not totally different as it turns out. I also have experience working in a facility where I ran Partial Hospitalization and Intensive Outpatient groups with a variety of populations, including adolescents and women.

I understand that my own therapeutic needs change over the course of time, and often circle back, more often looking like a bedspring than anything that could be linearly mapped. I am here for the process and here to support, encourage, and laugh.

I enjoy Motivational Interviewing (MI) as a means of uncovering and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) when some times, some things, just are what they are. I am strengths based, not because that comes naturally, but because that becomes necessary. I enjoy employing meditation, art, music, and am well versed in Twelve Step Facilitation (TST) that can provide the framework for a really good story and life.