Student Counselor
I help individuals, couples, and families untangle the patterns that keep people from having meaningful and authentic relationships with themselves and with others. Relationships are integral to human experience, complex, and impact every aspect of life. Sometimes people are not the problem, but a problem is developed and maintained by patterns of communication and defense mechanisms. I systematically investigate my clients’ concerns from multiple angles to ensure the symptoms experienced in the relationship are not masked but healed.
I help clients explore trauma from a collective and personal perspective. I believe that humans are deeply impacted by the effects of trauma, and sometimes can be pushed to their brink in despair yet even in that pain can bring out the best in who we are meant to become. Trauma challenges us to transform. Change is sometimes chaotic, painful and hard, but learning the skills to master the process of change can help us better navigate the changes. It is my passion to help others transcend the pain they have experienced and to realize the greatness within them.
I welcome LGBTQIA+ community members as well as religious and cultural diversity. I am an advocate for victims, survivors, and the front-line heroes who help others when they need it most. I understand the great cost of the sacrifices and am here to lend support.
I am a third-year trauma-informed, systemic, couples, marriage, and family [CMFT] clinical intern and graduate student studying at National University. Local to central Missouri, I am a graduate of Rock Bridge Senior High School and Stephens College with a Bachelor of Science in Mass Communication Broadcasting with an emphasis in Journalism. Exploring the human condition through documentary filmmaking inspired my undergraduate degree. Additionally, I took Criminal Justice classes at Columbia College.
Areas of Interest Include:
- Collective Trauma
- Secondary Traumatic Stress
- Vicarious Trauma
- Interpersonal Violence
- Domestic abuse
- Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)
- Complex Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (C-PTSD)
- Anxiety
- Adverse Childhood Experiences
- Depression
- Narcissistic Abuse
- Family Dynamics and Life Cycle Transitioning
- Grief & Hospice Counseling
- Pre-marital counseling
- Divorce Counseling
- Custody Disputes
- Couples and Sex Therapy
- Sexual violence
- Substance Use
- Suicidal Ideation
- Medical trauma
- Insecure Attachment Patterns
My studies and work are influenced by Joseph Campbell, Carl Jung, Virginia Satir & Bessel Van Der Kolk.
Therapeutic Methods that influence my work:
- Narrative Therapy
- Gottman Method Couples Therapy (trained in Level 1 & 2)
- Short-term Solution Focused
- Emotional Focused Therapy
- Genograms
- Bowen Family Therapy Systems
Affiliations:
American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (AAMFT) Student Member
International Marriage and Family Therapist Honor Society Member Iota Chapter
Omega Nu Lambda National Honor Society Phi Chapter
The Virginia Satir Global Network Student Member