In the beginning…
Finding a therapist with whom you can connect has been shown to be the most important factor in predicting positive outcomes in the process of therapy. My first goal in working with you is to create that connection.
My office is a comfortable “take your shoes off” kind of place, and I want you to feel safe here. We will share information, so that you can formulate a plan of where to start and make goals about where you want to go.
The process…
You are always in charge of directing where we go in this process. I know a lot about human behavior, how to facilitate change, and all the boring stuff like studies and research, but you are the expert on you and I respect that when you choose to work with me.
Some people are ready for deep work on trauma or grief, and others are only ready to explore how they might grow through this process.
I promise to meet you wherever you are and walk with you to where ever you hope to go.
About Me
When I was a little girl my mother told me often, and emphatically, “Don’t talk to strangers!” Pretty good advice for the most part, so let me introduce myself.
Living in a small mid-western town, in the 1960’ and 70’s, I didn’t know very many college-educated women. When asked what I wanted to be when I grew up, I responded with the three choices that I thought were available to women: teacher, nurse, or airline stewardess.
I also knew that I wanted to be a mother, and pictured a perfect life, with a perfect husband, well-behaved children, and a dog that never smelled or made a mess in the house.
As I stumbled through my early adult years, I became a nurse, and a mother. I worked hard at both jobs, and realized that all dogs eventually make messes. Nursing provided a flexible schedule for me as children 2, 3, and 4 arrived, and luckily jobs were plentiful in the critical care/ER specialties, because we moved every 2-3 years during my husband’s time in the military.
I didn’t have the perfect life I had hoped for as a child, but it was a stable life, a good life. And I was often unhappy. Wondering if this was all life had to offer? Where was the joy?
Fast forward and child number 4 leaves the nest. I had dedicated much of my time to the job of raising these children and then they left. I had worked myself out of my most meaningful job. I was lost.
This is when I began the journey that led me to discover the possibilities that life could offer, through the process of therapy. I found a therapist that created a space so safe that I could share my deepest pain and I began to reconnect with the person I was created to be. This allowed me to imagine creating the life that I dreamed about.
I applied to graduate school, and earned a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. I connected with a mentor that introduced me to Experiential Therapy, and I knew this was the way that I wanted to practice. It involves less talking and more showing by doing.
Today, I am happy working in my beautiful space with clients that are discovering their own possibilities.
I no longer dream of a perfect life and my dog often smells bad, but I have joy. That’s what I hope for you. Joy.