"I would not interfere with any creed of yours, or want to appear that I have all the cures. There is so much to know; so many things are true, the way my feet must go may not be right for you. And so I give this spark of what is light to me, to guide you through the dark but not tell you what to see." Anonymous
about . . .
I am a native Las Vegan who made Nashville home in 2003, where I now live with my husband and cockatiel.
Interests: art galleries and museums, meditation, birding, experiential gatherings, pushing my edge, reading non-fiction, djembes, movement, cultural diversity, eating but not cooking ethnic food, fire pits, board games, coffee shops, travel, nature, and continued personal growth and healing. My values drive my practice and person-hood and help me to be with you and myself nonjudgmentally, allowing space for safe exploration as you make your way toward gentle change and healing. |
background . . .
Many years ago, I had an internal sense that I wanted to become a therapist but wasn't ready. My own work had to come first before I could step into the arena with anyone else. Eventually, I obtained a Bachelors of Science in Kinesiology with the intention of becoming a physical therapist. However, massage therapy grabbed me, and I switched paths, becoming a nationally certified massage therapist, focusing on the treatment of chronic and acute physical pain using an assortment of deep tissue and structural integrative modalities. This led to whole body balancing using various energy based modalities. Repeatedly, I witnessed individual physical structures - the quality of tissue, the anatomical balance of each part to its whole, and the bodies movement, and most notably how these physical observations correlate to the individual's emotions, beliefs, trauma, and personality. How we move in the world reveals the integration of body, mind, emotion, spirit, and the integration of pain and suffering (or wellness) throughout our whole being.
After unpacking my own issues, including an eating disorder, with consistent counseling, meditation, and life experience, I decided to become a professional counselor and received a Masters in Counseling from Trevecca Nazarene University. Many people I work with in private practice experience mood disorders, anxiety disorders, PTSD or complex trauma, drug/alcohol abuse, personality disorders, and dissociative disorders, and intrapersonal conflict. From 2013 until 2018, I've lead various groups such as experiential body-image, expressive movement, boundaries, DBT skills, and process groups, within a higher level care clinical facility treating eating disorders. I’ve had the pleasure of presenting on eating disorders for graduate students at Trevecca Nazarene University. At Onsite Workshops, I’ve trained in experiential and psychodrama techniques, and trauma stage processing. I am comprehensively trained in DBT but am not part of a consultation group though have access. For those suffering from trauma, I use Comprehensive Resource Model and EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing). My therapeutic approach is heavy in mindfulness and the repair of attachment wounds. I believe the source of suffering originates from our natural biology, genetics, predispositions, early programming, and poor attachment to caregivers, as far back as life in the womb. This is an abbreviated list of my training and hope it gives you an adequate understanding of my clinical experience and education as a professional counselor. In addition, I hold membership with the American Counseling Association, Tennessee Licensed Professional Counselors Association, and Renewed - Eating Disorder Support of Tennessee. |