I am an experienced Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), which means I am licensed to practice mental health therapy in the state of Colorado. I hold a Master’s degree in Clinical Counseling from the University of Northern Colorado and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Indiana University. A complete list of credentials is provided below.
The first question people often ask me is why did I become a therapist. Sometimes they add: “I could never listen to people’s problems all day.” The truth is that I absolutely love being a therapist. And one of the reasons I find it so rewarding is that when working with clients, I focus on solutions, rather than problems. The problems each person brings to therapy are the context, the fertile soil, where individuals make positive changes, grow, blossom, and reach their full potential. Of course, sometimes it is necessary to dig around in the dirt a bit, see what is buried there, and do some excavating in order for all the growth to happen. I have seen many people make profound, life-altering changes in therapy. So from my perspective, therapy is a beautiful, healing journey of growth and discovery.
In my practice I offer you an emotionally safe space where you have the opportunity to heal, grow, and discover. I have received excellent feedback from clients and former supervisors about my clinical work. Clients have described me as warm, caring, nurturing, compassionate, respectful, and intuitive, with a good sense of humor and a calming presence. I tend to provide a lot of validation, support, and encouragement. I believe it is important to recognize and celebrate even slight progress toward therapy goals, because every bit of progress counts. I also offer constructive feedback and will respectfully challenge any long-time beliefs or perspectives you may be holding onto that impede your progress.
I offer culturally sensitive counseling. Throughout my life and in my current and past careers, I have worked with and befriended people from all walks of life—people with various racial and ethnic backgrounds, religious and spiritual beliefs, sexual orientations, and gender identities. In Chicago I worked every day with people from different parts of the world. These experiences and relationships have broadened my perspectives and made me a more open-minded person who embraces differences. I greatly enjoy working with people who have backgrounds different from mine, and welcome further opportunities to do so.
You may be wondering about my professional experience. I am experienced at helping people with a variety of mental health, behavioral, and relationship issues. I have specialized knowledge in the areas of trauma recovery, healthy relationships, unresolved childhood issues (family of origin issues), depression, anger management, and domestic violence. Before starting in private practice, I practiced therapy for over three years at a large mental health agency, where I provided individual mental health therapy and domestic violence treatment for adult men and women. I became licensed as an LPC and earned my certification as a Domestic Violence Treatment Provider. Before that, I completed an internship at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, where I worked with veterans struggling with a variety of mental health issues, including trauma and PTSD.
Credentials
- License: Licensed Professional Counselor: LPC.0012277, 12/31/14–present
Certifications
- Domestic Violence Treatment Provider, 8/7/2014–present (inactive)
Education
- M.A. Clinical Counseling, 2012, University of Northern Colorado
- J.D., 1990, Indiana University School of Law
- B.A. Psychology, 1987, Indiana University
- B.A. Political Science, 1987, Indiana University