About

About Me

I believe we can all use a safe space to heal and grow, especially when we experience hardships, difficult life transitions, lack of support, or other struggles along our way. Experiences such as these may lead us to lose our connections to ourselves, our sources of joy, our purpose or we may develop habits that are no longer serving us well. 

My hope is that my clients learn new ways of thinking and behaving to help them lead a more joyful life while reducing symptoms of anxiety, depression or other mental health struggles. We can't prevent difficult things from happening, but we can develop skills and tools that will help carry us through them. Self acceptance and self compassion are two common themes that guide my work. 

It is an honor to play a role in helping people work on their goals, whether it be improving anxiety, prioritizing themselves after spending so much time giving to others more freely, navigating through difficult life circumstances, improving relationships with others, or addressing past trauma.

My Approach

My clinical approach acknowledges that the strength of the relationship between client and therapist is just as important within the change process as the clinical interventions that are utilized.

My role is to provide support, acceptance and encouragement during the process of working through life's challenges. As a therapist, it is my job to create a safe space for my clients to feel comfortable exploring topics or areas of their life that are causing them distress. My approach is a gentle one that empowers clients to feel a greater sense of control over the issues they are experiencing in order to decrease and replace feelings of helplessness and/or hopelessness. 

My therapeutic approach is integrative and blends Person-Centered, Humanistic and Feminist values with Cognitive Behavioral techniques, and is strongly rooted in the practice of Mindfulness. I often incorporate the use of relaxation strategies and tools into my sessions, with the intention that they can be utilized outside of sessions. I utilize a whole-person approach. This means I often focus on aspects of functioning like sleep and eating, to help identify risk and protective factors. I also often integrate a systems-level perspective with my individual clients, focusing on how the systems we interact with impact our functioning and well-being (i.e., family systems, communities, schools, work settings, medical systems, etc.).

Perinatal Mental Health

One of my clinical specialties is perinatal mental health, which describes the time period both before, during, and after conception and pregnancy. This can be a time full of growth and challenges, as well as joys and sorrows, with many physical and emotional changes happening all at once. I am passionate about raising awareness regarding perinatal mental health as well as providing support and education during transitions related to parenthood. I am especially interested in advocacy and policies focused on the current disparities in maternal mental health and maternal and infant mortality. 

Certifications

I am trained and certified in the use of Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, an evidence based program for children and adolescents who have experienced trauma. 

I am a Certified Perinatal Mental Health Professional as designated by Postpartum Support International. Providers who have achieved this designation have completed trainings and passed a certification exam focused on perinatal mental health, and are required to complete ongoing continuing education credits within this area. 

I am a Registered Circle of Security® Facilitator and a certified provider for Promoting First Relationships, which are both attachment-based parent support programs. 

I have completed a 200 hour Yoga Alliance certified Yoga Teacher Training course and am also certified as a Childight Yoga Instructor for children ages 2-15. I often integrate discussions of yoga/mindfulness philosophy and practices in to my work with clients to help support the focus on mind-body connection. However, I do tailor this individually and can use other frameworks if preferred by clients.  

Education

B.A. Psychology, B.A. Women's Studies from Penn State University

M.S. Mental Health Counseling from Capella University

Professionl and Clinical Experiences


Volunteering is near and dear to my heart and I am proud to serve as a volunteer for both BreastfeedingUSA and Postpartum Support International.