Provisionally Licensed Professional Counselor (PLPC)

Certified Drug & Alcohol Counselor (CADC)

Do you wonder if your feelings and experiences are normal?

Are you overwhelmed by anxiety, while at the same time feeling desperately lonely?

Do you avoid conflict and confrontation, but desperately wish to express yourself?

Do you feel like no one will ever understand what you are going through?

Do you ever find yourself wondering why life seems to be a constant repetition of the same problems, and nothing ever seems to change?

Does it feel impossible to connect with others at school, at work, and in everyday life?

Do you have questions about the way you use drugs and alcohol, the risks you take, or the consequences of your gaming/gambling?

If you answered yes to one more of these questions, I might be able to help you begin to find some answers. I will help you by being present, building a relationship with you, listening deeply to what you say (and don’t say), and working to understand your experiences in life, with others, and with yourself. I am committed to working with you to understand the meaning behind the problems that trouble you the most. I believe that as our relationship develops you will find that the therapy room is a space in which you can learn more about yourself in ways that will improve your life outside of the therapy room.

I draw on attachment, developmental, neuroscience, and psychoanalytic theories to help individuals and intimate partners understand themselves, and others, at a deeper level. This includes learning how their past experiences influence their current life and relationships. I aspire to build a therapeutic relationship in which my patients feel authentic and understood.

I have over 20 years of experience in the helping professions, working in a variety of settings such as inpatient psychiatric hospitals, residential treatment facilities, outpatient mental health centers, community based social service organizations, universities, and private practice.

Couples

Whether you’re just starting out, you’ve together for a while and want to make changes, or you’re looking to enhance your relationship as you move into retirement, couple therapy can help you define and reach your goals.

My work with couples and intimate partners is trauma-informed, integrating psychoanalytic theories and techniques with Gottman method, behavioral couple therapy, and emotionally-focused therapy. Through our work you will be able to

  • assess your couple strengths and challenges
  • understand your individual thoughts and feelings
  • build a feeling of connectedness and safety
  • understand how the patterns in your relationship started
  • practice new ways of relating to each other

School-To-Work Transition

School-to-Work Transition

Are you leaving school soon? Are you experiencing anxiety or depression as you face the transition from school to work? Do you feel lost or alone?

I can help emerging professionals with:

  1. Transition Support: Navigate the shift from college to career with support.
  2. Stress Management: Learn how to manage post-graduation stress and anxiety.
  3. Goal Setting: Define clear, achievable goals for your personal and professional life.
  4. Self-Discovery: Explore your strengths, values, and aspirations to align your career path with your true passions.
  5. Building Resilience: Develop resilience to overcome challenges and setbacks on your journey to success.

I worked as a teacher’s assistant and a college classroom teacher for 10 years before transitioning to full-time clinical work. Based on my training and experience, I specialize in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic psychotherapy for college students who struggle with depression, anxiety, and the stresses of transition.

Substance Use

Even if you’re not ready to quit, you may be ready to explore the reasons you use. Whether you’ve noticed that using substances has started to interfere with things that are important to you, or someone you care about has expressed their concern about your using behaviors, I am here to help you explore whether or not you want to make changes.

Maybe you already made a change and it hasn’t gone the way you expected. Sometimes things feel harder in the weeks and months after stopping substance use – and this can be surprising, disappointing, and discouraging. If you’d like to explore the changes in your moods, thinking, or physical health in your wellness journey, therapy is a great place to start.

If you’ve already been on your recovery or wellness journey for a year or more, you may be looking for additional support to pursue optimal health, happiness, recovery, and a full and satisfying life in the community. Therapy can help you deepen your wellness experience, recover from a return to use, and better understand your self-experience.

I meet you where you’re at in your decision-making process. I understand that substance use is a complex issue that can come from trauma, prescription medication use, or other situational factors. Overall my goal is to help you understand your substance use, reduce the negative consequences you experience during or after using substances, and reach the goals you define for yourself.

I work with:

  • Adults 18 years old and up
  • Couples and non-traditional relational partners (poly, enm, etc.)
  • College students and emerging professionals
  • People who want to explore their substance use, gaming or high-risk behaviors
  • Adults in mid-life or late adulthood transitions
  • People who live with psychosis

Specialty Areas:

  • Anxiety
  • Depression
  • Loneliness
  • Midlife transition
  • Mood disorder
  • Problem gambling
  • Problem eating
  • Pornography
  • Psychosis
  • Othering and identity trauma
  • Relational problems
  • Sexual risk-taking
  • Substance (mis)use
  • Young adult transition (emerging professionals, emerging adults)

About Me / My Approach

I began working in the mental health field as an aid in a transitional housing facility, and later as a substance abuse counselor. My early career centered on helping people in marginalized populations. I later moved into leadership positions, began grant writing and consulting, and after my PhD I taught courses in public and nonprofit management, organizational change, leadership, and group dynamics. My teaching and research career was (and still is) rooted in psychoanalytic and psychosocial perspectives. After a decade of teaching, I was drawn back to clinical work by a desire to integrate my professional experience with clinical theory by working more closely with those in our communities who most need healing.

In addition to providing psychotherapy services, I offer reflective practice coaching, participate in the local recovery coalition, lead a psychosocial research group, and attend psychoanalytic seminars and trainings. I also serve as a peer reviewer for scholarly journals in the healthcare management, nonprofit management and leadership, and organizational studies disciplines.

My Education / Experience / Credentials

  • Master of Science in Clinical Counseling, Central Methodist University
  • PhD in Public Affairs, University of Missouri, emphasis in psychoanalytic organization studies
  • Master of Arts in Anthropology, University of Missouri, emphases in cultural anthropology, evolutionary psychology, biological psychology
  • Bachelor of Arts in Anthropology, University of Missouri

Certifications

  • Graduate Certificate in Organizational Change
  • Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor, Missouri Credentialing Board
  • Certified Gambling Disorder Counseling, Missouri Credentialing Board.
  • Medication Awareness Recovery Specialist, Missouri Credentialing Board

Completed Trainings

  • Missouri Recovery Support Specialist, Missouri Credentialing Board
  • Harm Reduction Specialist, Missouri Credentialing Board
  • Motivational Interviewing, Boone County Health Department
  • Overdose Prevention (Naloxone), Boone County Health Department
  • Gottman Level 1
  • Gottman Method: Couples in recovery

Training in Progress

  • Certificate in Psychoanalysis
  • Gottman method: Trauma and affairs