How do I work?
I show up authentically, with presence, and without my own agenda. I take care of myself, so that you never have to. I put into context your experiences and your responses, recognizing them as uniquely yours, and as indicators of your resilience. I don’t pathologize you or the issues bringing you to therapy, or view you as a diagnosis. I use modalities that facilitate experiential process, and integrate the body and the mind. These tools, alongside our therapeutic relationship, help you to gain access to your own inner resource of calmness, clarity, and curiosity.
Past clients have described me as calm, attuned, insightful, and transparent in a way that creates a sense of safety and connection. I am also always open to integrating humor, playfulness, and light!
What do I know?
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Georgia, and have a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Georgia State University. I have completed Level 1 training in a therapeutic model called Internal Family Systems (IFS), and it is the groundwork for what I offer in therapy. I have also completed Clinical Hypnotherapy training, and have done additional continuing education in DBT, Mindfulness, and Play Therapy. These are all incorporated in different ways when useful.
What’s my experience?
While completing my Bachelor’s degree at The University of Georgia, I volunteered on the crisis hotline at The Cottage Sexual Assault and Children’s Advocacy Center, before graduating in 2013. I then worked on staff at a psychiatric residential treatment facility for children and adolescents, in Asheville, NC. From there, I worked as a Child & Family Advocate and Forensic Interviewer for cases involving abuse and neglect in rural Georgia; returned to graduate school at Georgia State University, where I completed my M.S. in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and an internship working with survivors of child abuse, sexual assault, and domestic violence. After graduate school, I was involved with the start of a high school-based program focusing on the prevention of Interpersonal Relationship violence. Then, I began working at an outpatient holistic psychiatric clinic, where I provided therapy and coaching to support tailored holistic psychiatric care. I moved to Athens, and have been offering counseling in a private practice setting since 2018.
What drives my passion?
The variation of my work experiences has allowed me to see many different stages of healing and has driven my passion for this field and any way that I can contribute to it. These experiences have given me confidence that we all have the capacity for healing, growth, and meaningful change, and that engaging in your own healing is how we change the world for the better. While counseling is not the only way to do this, I have experienced the benefits in my own life, and have seen it time and time again in the lives of the people with whom I have worked.
