About Us

I grew up on military bases in North Carolina and New Jersey until I was 9 years old. We moved to Wisconsin where my stepfather became a deputy sheriff. My father retired from the Air Force after 20 years as a detective with the military police and became a police officer with the St. Louis Police Department. My experience growing up as the daughter of officers has helped me understand the impact the demanding work and culture has, not only on the individual as a first responder, but also on the family that loves them.

My philosophy is that there is no such thing as normal or perfect. We live in a world that is messy, unpredictable, and complicated. Sometimes we are the thing that complicates life, and other times we are merely caught up in the chaos. All we can do is our best with what we have, at any given moment. It is that belief, that we are all doing the best we can, that I try to lead with in my interactions with others. Whether we are looking at the past and choices that we have made, reflecting on the impact of choices others have made, or simply trying to navigate current situations and present choices. I believe that learning skills to manage the big reactions that we experience can help us slow down to look at the entire picture and consider our best options.

I work with adults and teens (14+), helping them manage anxiety, depression, substance use, self-harm, suicidal ideation, and trauma. I use a variety of modalities that include Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and trauma informed care.

I grew up with many family members in the military and watched the change in them as they would come back from tours of duty and the struggles their family endured while their family member was away.  Watching first responders manage shifts, stressors of the job, and pressure from society all while trying to support the people they love reminds me of my own family and their struggles. This motivates me every day to learn, support, and educate all that I can.

I came across the word: Parakleet in my studies and this truly defines the work with responders. I cannot change the job, co-workers, families, husbands, wives, parents, kids, society, politics, and all the other stresses we experience; what I can do is walk alongside. We all struggle, feel stuck, and feel like we have screwed everything up. Me too. If we can do it together though, share the load, things can feel a bit lighter and we can learn different ways to cope, live and thrive.

I work with kids as long as they are potty trained, families, couples, and individuals.

I was born and raised in Las Cruces, New Mexico. Growing up within a law enforcement family, I knew that no matter what I ended up doing in life I primarily wanted to give back to my community by supporting people. I attended New Mexico State University focusing my studies within healthcare.  I began my career in healthcare working alongside law enforcement as a victim advocate and assisting with the sexual assault nurse examiners unit.

In 2018 I relocated to the Pacific Northwest with my husband and our children. Though the days are not as sunny as I was used to living in New Mexico, I love the changing seasons and picturesque landscape. A majority of my experience is in outpatient clinical settings as a Certified Medical Assistant and Phlebotomist.