Education & Experience

 

I graduated from Baylor University with a BA in Psychology and from UNC Greensboro with a MS in Counseling. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor, National Certified Counselor, Board Certified TeleMental Health Provider, and Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. I have also been fully trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR). I have been providing counseling services to children, adolescents, and adults in an outpatient setting for 15+ years. While the majority of my professional time and focus has been working one-on-one with clients, I also have experience leading process and psycho-educational groups and providing mental health consultation to school administrators and teachers. Additionally, I am trained in the administration and interpretation of the Substance Abuse Subtle Screening Inventory (SASSI). Outside my own practice, I am Vice President of the Board of Directors for a local non-profit counseling center.

 

Clinical Approach

 

I routinely see individuals in my practice with the following concerns:

 

• Depression

• Generalized anxiety

• Panic attacks

• Social avoidance/phobia

• Post-traumatic stress

• Obsessive-compulsive thinking/behavior

• Angry/aggressive outbursts

• Oppositional defiance

• Attention-deficit/poor executive function

• Low self-esteem

• Body image insecurities

• Substance abuse/addiction

• Bullying

• Grief/loss

• Relationship conflict/dissatisfaction

• Adjustment to separation/divorce

• "Failure to launch" young adults

• Co-parenting

• Career transition/employee assistance

 

My approach to counseling is eclectic, and I strive to create a treatment plan that is tailor-made to your presenting needs. I do not ascribe to a “one size fits all” mentality and will do my best to use therapies that are best suited to your unique personality and mood. If you are a parent searching for a counselor for your child/adolescent, I will partner with you to determine the most effective treatment plan to meet your child/adolescent’s developmentally distinct needs. Some of the approaches I most frequently use include:

 

• Humanistic therapy

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT)

• Solution-focused therapy

• Trauma-focused therapy, including EMDR

• Play therapy

• Family systems therapy

• TeleMental health therapy

 

I also frequently use psycho-education in my work with children, adolescents, and adults, teaching things such as healthy emotional coping, effective problem solving and decision-making, assertive communication, and stress management.

 

I value you as unique, competent, and capable and believe that you can use your strengths to bring about positive change in a timely manner. I encourage you to participate in counseling with an open heart and mind. It is very important for you to understand that you will get out of counseling what you put into it. I have found that those people who are honest and upfront, first with themselves but also with me, and motivated to work hard during and in between sessions benefit the most from counseling. There is no prescribed length of counseling; the number of sessions needed to “feel better” varies from person to person. I suggest that we take it a session at a time and ensure that you feel progress is being made as we go along. I always invite your open, honest feedback.​​​