My desire to become a therapist had its roots in my own therapy during my 20s. As I began to experience relief from the intermittent depression and anxiety that had been with me since childhood, I knew that I wanted to share this healing with others. I had been a teacher for several years and began my MSSW with the goal of becoming a therapist. During the interim I married and hoped to start a family. No baby. I began a doctoral program and became a teaching assistant as a way to pay for school. I discovered I enjoyed working with college students and began a career of 25+ years in higher education. During much of that time, I was able to practice therapy on a part-time basis. Retirement allowed me to focus on the professional activity I loved most.
Every individual has dignity and worth and deserves the opportunity to tell their own story from their own viewpoint. What happened to you? How did it influence your life? How can it serve a a focal point for healing and growth? What strengths and resources have you discovered in your life? What are your most cherished dreams?
I want every client to experience the therapy room as a safe place, a judgment-free zone for exploring beliefs, values, and discovering their own self-worth. It is a place for safeguarding self and others and of non-violent behavior.
I particularly enjoy working with life’s transitional stages and watching people discover the potential of each stage, its joys, and its challenges. For both personal and professional reasons, I find it rewarding to walk beside those who are struggling with infertility and perinatal bereavement.
I work with the many forms of grief that we encounter over the life course, but also enjoy witnessing growth, new abilities, and a sense of self-worth. I enjoy working as people explore their own diversity and strive to build appreciation and respect for those who differ from themselves in culture, language, nationality, sexual orientation, faith, and other life variations. Welcome to the journey!