For almost thirty years, I have been providing therapy to adults, adolescents, children and families, successfully helping them discover their strengths and create more meaningful lives.
I love being a therapist because I feel it’s a sacred responsibility to be welcomed into a person’s healing journey. I love the feeling when together we discover what has been holding the person back and they choose to give that event, relationship or belief a different meaning. These realizations can be life-changers and to be a part of that process is, for me, a true honor.
I believe that good therapy is based on a positive relationship between client and counselor. Even more important than my academic qualifications is my ability to connect personally with my clients. Unless you want to spend time with me, therapy will be of no use. My clients usually look forward to our counseling sessions. So, if you've tried therapy before and found the experience to be less than positive, I encourage you to acknowledge that caution and use it to carefully select a therapist with whom you feel a connection.
I draw from many approaches to help my clients including cognitive-behavioral techniques, client-centered talk therapy, journaling, mindfulness exercises, hypnotherapy, and expressive arts. All of which could help you create a more rewarding life.
In my spare time I love to travel, scuba dive, cook, paint and garden. My favorite vacation was taking my mother on a tour of England where we once lived and then on to Norway to visit relatives and cruise the fjords up to the Arctic Circle. My favorite places to scuba dive are Cozumel and the Big Island of Hawaii. My happy place is my own backyard in the summer just reading a book, listening to the birds and watching the deer try to eat all my flowers.
TRAINING & EXPERIENCE
In 1987, I earned a Bachelor’s degree in Education from Pacific Lutheran University. In 1995, I completed a Master’s degree in Marriage, Family and Child Counseling from the University of San Diego.
In my career, I have worked in California, Alaska and Washington with many different systems: foster care, juvenile probation, public schools, crisis hotlines, inner city schools, remote rural villages, a sexual assault center and community mental health agencies. I was licensed in Alaska until 2001. I then moved to Washington and became a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in this state and a National Certified Counselor. I have enjoyed being in private practice since 2008.
I have continued my training in areas specific to anxiety, depression, grief/loss, expressive art therapies, mindfulness and trauma recovery. Additionally, I have completed intensive training in hypnotherapy. The combination of my education and work experience enables me to use a wide variety of creative and helpful approaches that fit the specific needs of my clients. And, as a long-standing member of the American Counseling Association and the National Board for Certified Counselors, I am kept up to date with new developments in mental health research and counseling.
“For a long time, it had seemed to me that life was about to begin - real life. But there was always some obstacle in the way. Something to be got through first, some unfinished business, time still to be served, a debt to be paid. Then life would begin.
At last, it dawned on me that these obstacles were my life.”