I am so glad you are here. Let's face it- life is messy and most of us learn the hard way. Finding your way sometimes takes someone by your side hearing your story, being a safe container, and helping you rediscover your strengths and purpose. Through the last 2 dozen years, I continue to marvel at how the human spirit can be doused in agony, disconnection, and shame, yet hope can find its way through  like a splinter of light.  My intention is to facilitate your own journey with deep compassion, authentic warmth, and humor. 

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My Background

Beginning as a counselor in a therapeutic wilderness program for high-risk teens and then a behavioral assistant in an alternative school, I later earned my Master's in Counseling and worked with children who had been sexually abused and adults with    substance use and mental health issues. I then joined a Child and Family agency doing intensive in-home and school-based therapy in a short-term solution-focused family systems model. I worked in inpatient and intensive outpatient programs that were Dialectical Behavior Therapy-informed and as a foster and adoption parent consultant and trainer before shifting populations to university counseling centers. I earned my PhD in Counseling because I wanted to help train the next generation of counselors and served as a professor, a supervisor, a Clinic Director, and a researcher at several regional universities.

 

My Lenses

Everyone wants to feel seen and heard in a nonjudgmental space and that is vital for trust. I incorporate Motivational Interviewing, DBT skills, mindfulness meditation, and narrative approaches based on your goals and needs. Personally, as a former foster parent and cancer survivor, I have experienced periods of devastating loss, coping with change and life transitions, and I continue to do my own transformative inner work around perspective and balance. In my free time, I enjoy doing yoga, mentoring and connecting, volunteering around Asheville, and playing in my outdoor community with my dog.