There is strength in resiliency and resiliency is developed through a perspective of recognizing the opportunities for growth and learning that reside in each difficult experience. By recognizing our own resiliency, we can begin to increase our influence on the problems that plague us and become more empowered. In this way we can take ownership of our life narratives. I see change happening through shifts from a person seeing themselves as the problem to seeing themselves as a person up against a problem. I use a strengths-based and systemic perspective to help clients develop awareness of the skills they possess, and I provide modeling to hone skills that can be used to empower clients to have more impact in their own lives. C.S. Lewis wrote, “You can’t go back and change the beginning, but you can start where you are and change the ending.” My goal is to help clients walk into their story, pick up the pen, and write narratives that support the truth of their inherent worthiness and goodness.

Working as a certified chemical dependency counselor or suicide prevention specialist, I address not only the individual substance user or person with suicidal ideations, but the impact of these concerns on loved ones.

You determine the goals we work towards and are driving the car of counseling. As a therapist, it is my role to be your GPS, to suggest the best route to get to your destination and attain your goals. I am here to point out ways you may never have considered and to bring out the strengths and resources you may not have noticed were there. Therapeutic sessions are a collaboration where we work together towards the outcomes you desire.

Collaboration is a cornerstone of my practice. I do not think it is a coincidence that illness begins with an ‘I’ and wellness begins with a ‘we.’ My focus is on connecting clients to the ‘we’ as an integral part of health in terms of mind, body, and spirit. Where walls keep people out, boundaries show people where the doors are. I help people to set boundaries, identify doors, and then open those doors to connection.

I provide brief therapy and my goal is actually to work myself out of a job. This means that the concerns that brought you to therapy are resolved and that you are equipped to manage similar situations in the future. I have an open-door policy for returning clients. You are always welcome to come back to refresh your skills and understandings or if a different concern arises.