Meet the Team

Therapy is an art and a science; my practice, which incorporates both cognitive behavioral and attachment theories, strives to merge and encourage trust, vulnerability, empathy, and rapport alongside evidence-based practices to help you move toward your goals. Together, we will collaborate on solutions that leave you feeling more empowered and fulfilled and less stuck while gaining insight into presenting challenges that prompted therapy. I have had the honor and privilege of being in practice for nearly 10 years, specializing in sexuality, relationships, substance use disorders, and general mental health (e.g. anxiety and mood disorders like depression), and three of those years were served on faculty in the Augsburg University Social Work Department.

My clients tend to be creative over-achievers who are seeking support to make positive changes to enhance their personal and professional lives. I specialize in substance use and/or mental health issues with an emphasis on co-occurring disorders. Exploring life satisfaction in the 8 dimensions of wellness is one approach I use to identify potential areas for change. Tapping into intrinsic motivation is a primary focus of treatment as we work collaboratively to identify strengths and set/implement goals. Areas of specialization are: forgiveness therapy, perfectionism, creative recovery and productivity coaching. I utilize holistic, eclectic and creative approaches in my clinical therapy. I continually strive to discover and maximize my clients’ potential and increase their motivation to make positive life changes. I believe in a multiple-pathways approach to recovery from substance use and mental health disorders. I hold a Master’s Degree from the University of Minnesota, and am a dually licensed alcohol and drug counselor and mental health therapist.

Therapy is, first and foremost, a warm, safe, and trusting relationship between therapist and client. As I believe each person’s experience is unique, I work to tailor the therapeutic process to create a safe environment to heal and facilitate growth through an exploration of emotions, experiences, and relationships. I am passionate about supporting people dealing with concerns including depression, anxiety, family dynamics, traumatic experiences, emotion regulation, and interpersonal problems. I also have experience working with individuals who have co-occurring substance use and mental health concerns. I received my graduate degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Drake University and have worked with a diverse population of individuals, families, and groups.

Loving someone who struggles with addiction can be painful. It can be hard to watch someone you love experience the ups and downs of entering recovery and then falling back into active addiction. They can get caught up in their head looking for the perfect answer – or any answer – to solve their problems. Often people find themselves in an uncomfortable limbo of not knowing what to do in those moments of struggle. These are the moments that a professional outside the situation can provide a space for you to reflect and explore how to create a life with less pain and more joy.

I hold an MA in Counseling, am an LADC, and received training at The Meadows in Arizona. The Meadows Model of codependency is the primary framework I use to help clients create a new way of being in relationships and to face challenges.

In my life I have traveled many wrong paths. Life was often my only teacher — because when I wasn’t willing to listen, it made itself heard. These life experiences, and healing from them, have given me a deep understanding of human folly and compassion for our foibles.

Now I am able to combine this hard-earned life wisdom with my professional training to create a non-judgmental, empathetic, and respectful space for you to take a moment to focus on creating a life you love living. Together we will work to better understand how childhood experiences impact thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and ultimately your relationships. By incorporating The Meadows Model with CBT and psychodynamic therapy, I will help you discover how to recognize your own value, experience your own reality, manage vulnerability, create interdependency, and how to meet your wants and needs in social interactions and relationships.

I strive to provide a supportive and non-judgmental environment to help you learn more about yourself, gain skills to navigate life’s challenges, and live an authentic, fulfilled life. I offer culturally responsive therapy in English and Spanish. My areas of specialty include working with clients experiencing anxiety, OCD, life transitions, low self-worth, and trauma. I enjoy working with clients who identify as LGBQ+, transgender, and/or gender expansive. In my practice, I utilize a range of methods including person-centered, relational, self-compassion, mindfulness-based, and acceptance and commitment therapies. I am also trained in Adaptive Internal Relational (AIR) Network therapy, a neuro-developmental, competency-based model of therapy for complex PTSD and dissociation.

I enjoy meeting people where they’re at in life and working collaboratively to help guide through life’s journey. I am very much an empath, however I can have a compassionately straightforward approach. It’s been my privilege the past 10+ years to walk alongside individuals while they work on their mental and chemical health. I have experience with all adult populations, though I specialize in working with the LGBTQ+ community as well as the Native American communities. I typically work with people who have trauma, substance use issues, and/or mood disorders. I often utilize EMDR, CBT, and psychodynamic therapy while sometimes adding elements of DBT and IFS. My therapy dog Meeko also joins me in creating a healing space for everyone.

I help people overcome life’s challenges so that they can grow and find the happiness they desire. I have a long history of working with those struggling with addiction as well as concerns related to sex and intimacy. From a mental health perspective, I work with clients who have anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship problems and some personality disorders. I use DBT (dialectical behavior therapy), solution focused, and reality therapy/choice theory believing that what we do and how we think ultimately creates how we feel. I also believe that creating and enjoying our attachments and relationships is an essential part of our wellbeing. I am also trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for the treatment of trauma and PTSD. I welcome both adults and adolescent clients as well as some couples. I am sex positive and many of my clients identify with the LGBT community.

I believe in an empathic approach to therapy. It is important to me to meet clients where they are at, using a strengths-based and nonjudgmental approach. I draw from a variety of therapy modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy, narrative therapy, motivational interviewing, illness management and recovery and dialectical behavioral therapy. Additionally, I am trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) for the treatment of trauma and PTSD. I believe in providing a safe and welcoming environment that allows individuals to effectively manage their lives and reach their highest potential.