I’ve been in practice for seventeen years and have worked in a variety of settings, including residential treatment, partial hospitals, and community mental health agencies. Over the years, I’ve worked with children, adolescents, adults, families, and couples but now I specialize in working with individual adults across the lifespan.  I specialize in trauma and complex PTSD and am certified in EMDR. I am also a board approved supervisor and provide oversight and supervision to master’s level clinicians who are interested in becoming independently licensed. In the years that I have been using EMDR to help individuals process trauma and recover from it, I have been astounded by its effectiveness. EMDR is endorsed by The American Psychiatric Association, The American Psychological Association, the International Society for Traumatic Stress, the National Alliance on Mental Illness, and many other organizations. In addition to my work with trauma and PTSD, I also specialize in treating folks with depression and anxiety as well as people who feel “stuck” or are feeling overwhelmed by stage of life transitions. Many of the people who come to see me are creative types or artists. I have a particular affinity for working with individuals who feel like therapy hasn’t “worked” for them in the past.

 

My approach to therapy can generally be described as flexible, creative, and eclectic. Ultimately, I view things from an attachment perspective and this means that we will likely take a long hard look at how your earliest attachments and connections have informed your current place in the world. Our past experiences, even in infancy, influence how we show up in the world. And unconscious drives and defenses will wreak havoc if we dig in and refuse to explore them. I also weave in a great deal of education about neurobiological functioning – I will give you information, as needed, about how trauma or stress shows up in the body and the brain. Primarily, my approach is relational. And I view one of my main jobs as follows: I am responsible for offering you a secure and stable base from which you can explore and dive into previously untapped areas of your own life. Whether we do this through traditional talk therapy or trauma processing with EMDR, my role is to be present with you in the process. Therapy isn’t always comfortable. But it’s worth it.

 

I recognize that a commitment to my client’s healing is rooted in my own work. I believe that effective and ethical therapists do their own work and I can’t transact with clients’ in a healing realm if I haven’t engaged in my own healing. My understanding of the way in which clients show up in therapy (with their resistance, with their vulnerability, with their fear) is only as good as my own experiences.

 

In terms of training, ethos, and licensure, I am a social worker. I adhere firmly to the social worker code of ethics and I stick closely to the cultural adage of its ethical principals which recognize dignity and worth of the person as well as these values: service, integrity, competence, social justice and the importance of human relationships. In keeping with these principals, I recognize that many of my clients have lived experiences of cultural and racial trauma with which I have no personal experience. I make a concerted effort to evaluate my internal biases and address my own privilege as it relates to marginalized groups. I work to understand my clients’ experiences of intergenerational and societal trauma and  to provide an affirming and inclusive therapy space for all my clients. I try to acknowledge my mistakes.

 

Ongoing community involvement and education is important to me. I regularly attend trainings through EMDRIA to continue my EMDR education.  I have completed the first half of a certificate program in complex-PTSD and dissociation through ISSTD. I am also completing certification in Dr. Janina Fisher’s Trauma Informed Stabilization Treatment (TIST.) I am proud to have completed a series of trainings provided by The Texas After Violence Project on enhanced mental health care for individuals affected by the death penalty. I serve on a providers’ list in the state of Texas in order to offer services to family members impacted by a death sentence or execution. Finally, I am proud to co-own a group telehealth practice with my colleague from community mental health, Sarah Kincheloe, LCSW-S. Live Oak Collective is a practice that focuses on affordable, state-wide access to care for all Texans in need.

 

On a personal note,  I like amassing collections of vintage objects and shopping at thrift stores and antique malls for said vintage objects. I like old country music and t-shirts of old country musicians. I like spending time with my family and with my irascible rescue dog., Piggy.