Hello and welcome!

I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor Associate seeing individual adult clients at Blue Leaf Mental Wellness Center in Vancouver, WA.

If any of these statements cross your mind, I encourage you to reach out and see if I am a good fit for your mental wellness journey:

  • There has to be more to life than the daily grind.

  • I want more (fill in the blank: connection, fun, security, trust, sex, enjoyment) out of my romantic relationships, but I don’t know where to start or what to say.

  • I want to be a better parent than my own parents or caregivers.

  • I’d like to stand up for myself, but I don’t know what to say or do.

  • I think there are things I avoid in life, and I don’t know why.

  • I have things figured out and really dialed in. Yet, I don’t feel much joy or happiness.

  • I know my reactions have hurt others, but I don’t know how else to say what I mean.

  • I keep hearing about needs, boundaries, shame, guilt, purpose, trauma, and/or feelings. I don’t completely get why these things are important, but a part of me wonders about them.

My Approach

With curiosity and safety, we explore the thoughts, emotions, and behaviors that affect your well-being and your relationships with others. In working with clients, I bring warmth, acceptance, and collaboration to help you journey through therapy towards a place of greater hope and less struggle.

As a therapist, I focus on understanding how you form connections with yourself and others. I take a systemic approach, looking at the bigger picture while also considering the known and unknown parts of your thoughts and feelings. It's a bit like peeling back layers to reveal your core, inner Self. Through this process, I assist you in gaining insight into how these inner aspects shape your behaviors and relationships.

To complement this approach, I incorporate Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), which provides a structured framework for examining and reshaping interpersonal patterns. Grounded in an appreciation for attachment theory, my clinical training and therapeutic philosophy emphasize the influence of early attachment experiences on personal relational patterns and the navigation of vulnerability and intimacy.

This integrated approach enables me to guide you not only in building healthier connections and fostering emotional safety but also in navigating your internal dynamics. Ultimately, this facilitates positive transformations within your life and relationships.

Put more simply: you are the driver, and I am the navigation system. You set the destination, and I guide you to stay on course, at a pace that is works for you.

My Education & Training

I hold a Master of Arts Degree in Marriage, Couple, and Family Counseling from George Fox University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Psychology from Oregon State University. I have completed the Emotionally Focused Therapy Externship, and pursue self-study in Internal Family Systems, trauma, Jungian therapy, and somatic experiencing.

Personally

I am a long-time resident of the Pacific Northwest. This is a second career for me having spent time in healthcare, and primary and secondary education.

When I’m not at work, my family and I enjoy exploring the outdoors, having living room dance parties with our kiddos, and traveling. I also enjoy reading, being creative, listening to music, and pondering this life journey we’re on.