About Me

“How does the mind effect the body?”

I first asked myself this question as a 14-year-old girl observing my mother struggle with untreated childhood trauma, mental illness, and unexplained physical symptoms.  This foundational question continues to guide all my healing work.

There was much unpredictability and wounding experienced in my own growing up, yet one positive theme wove its way through my entire family – everyone seemed to be in the medical field. Early on, I had access to medical and nursing books, read voraciously and was curious how the human body worked. As I got older, I noticed there must be a link between mind and body, but no one I knew spoke about this. I was 17 before I first heard words like “self-help” (this was before the internet existed)!

Nurse

I became a Certified Nurse’s Aid (CNA) while still in high school. In college, I majored in Nursing, graduated with a BSN and worked another decade, all the while seeing the holes in our standard health care system not designed to attend to patients’ emotions or spirit. I looked to Social work, but it was focused on discharge planning; then chaplaincy, but it was oriented to religion. Many patients shared their life stories and sorrows with me. I witnessed the spectrum of human experiences- the transformation of giving birth, to illness, decline and transition through death. I saw patients in psychological distress or suffering late-stage illness often rooted in early life traumas. Years of reactive coping and harmful lifestyle patterns harbored the seeds of illness.

Along the way, I married and after a few years had children of my own. These were both enormous life transitions. Compassion deepened as I committed to my own personal healing work, and this further evolved my way of engaging with people.

Marriage & Family Therapist

Training in psychology and Family Systems Theory felt like a natural next step. Post graduate training in Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy offered a framework rooted in attachment that has been more effective in supporting inside out healing, in an interpersonal therapeutic context. My general therapeutic approach is systemic, which means I consider people in the context of their relationships with family, community, school/work and culture. I utilize understanding of attachment and trauma, emotion focused, mindfulness, and some cognitive-behavioral approaches. I love learning and keep up with research, so am continually adding new resources to my “tool-kit”.

 Certified Sex Therapist

In working with couples, sexual health issues came up with such frequency, I sought post graduate training in Sex Therapy. I enjoy collaborating more closely with medical professionals. This training has helped me bridge physical and emotional healing work in clients with these symptoms. Many clients that I work with have some trauma and insecurity around their sexuality.  I feel so much joy supporting my clients in discovering their own personal power to heal themselves and their relationships from a more holistic perspective. I see symptoms as pieces to a larger bio-psycho-social-sexual-spiritual picture. 

Spirituality and Energy Healing

In my personal psychotherapeutic healing, I seemed to hit the ceiling of what psychology could offer me. Personal exploration with shamanism and reiki healing methods led to an experiential breakthrough. I gradually expanded my personal spiritual practices and eventually sought formal training in both Shamanism and Reiki, which has made it possible to again expand the way I work with people.

“Helping people help themselves.”

I adopted this mantra as a Registered Nurse and it has continued to fit my approach after becoming a Marriage and Family Therapist, Certified Sex Therapist, and Energy Healer. There is beauty in this work. All these areas are important and where to start really depends on your own personal greatest need. Just like the old saying  “all roads lead to Rome”, if you are committed to personal and relational healing, many roads can lead to a healthier destination.

• *Marriage and Family Therapy is regulated by the Department of Health and I have specific ethical and practice codes as a licensed therapist and a Certified Sex Therapist. Energy Healing and Spiritual Counseling are not regulated practices. For this reason, I cannot see a client for both sex therapy and hands on energy healing work.