ABOUT ME
Licensed as a Professional Counselor, I work with individuals, couples, families, and groups. Graduating in 1998 from the University of Colorado, I received a Master’s Degree in Counseling Psychology, with an emphasis in Marriage and Family Studies. I am an Approved Clinical Supervisor (ACS) in the state of Colorado. My training includes Divorce and Child Custody Mediation through the Institute for Advanced Dispute Resolution. I have completed PACT 2 training and EMDR 2 training. I have a Guidance License and have been a Guidance Counselor, as well as a School Based Clinician for several years. I have served as the professional consultant for the Depression and Bipolar Support Alliance for the Longmont/Firestone Chapter. My experience includes working with clients in multiple settings including psychiatric hospitals, public schools, mental health agencies, therapeutic day schools, and residential treatment facilities.
Spanning more than 20 years, my therapy practice has evolved to include particular therapeutic theories and techniques that are not only effective in improving the lives of my clients but that also speak to my personal interests and values. In my therapy practice I work with individuals, couples and families facing many life challenges, including mood disorders, anxiety, personality disorders and trauma. My therapeutic approach is predicated on the knowledge that each of us has a family of origin and series of life events that deeply impact the way we function in our current work, family and love relationships. Understanding the "why" of a particular struggle can promote self-understanding, compassion and acceptance, and facilitate healing.
Specially trained and certified in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and having utilized it in practice for almost twenty years, I've had the privilege of aiding in the recovery of clients who have endured extreme emotional trauma such as abuse, neglect, combat, death of a loved one and unexpected loss. Understanding the deleterious consequences of trauma on a person's entire system, I am moved when clients are able to bring their most painful experiences to the surface and process them through EMDR in the safety of a trusted therapeutic setting. Utilizing EMDR has had a profound effect on me as I have repeatedly witnessed the relief of suffering and ultimate liberation from the lasting effects of trauma.
In couples therapy, I am trained in PACT (Psychobiological Approach to Couple Therapy), which integrates neuroscience, attachment theory and arousal regulation to help explain the ways in which couples relate to one another. The goal of this model is to establish a secure functioning system for the partnership. To read more about PACT, click on the link under the services tab.
When not in my office I spend time in our beautiful Colorado with my loving husband of over two decades and my three wonderful children. My family, friends, nature, travel and yoga practice are essential elements of my own personal strength and growth.