About
Courage to change makes a difference.
Being willing to reach out for help for the first time, or yet again, is impressive. For more than two decades, I have been amazed at the courage I witness in clients as we work together.
My clients have displayed the courage to face the reality of pain and discontentment and its impact on all aspects of life. Taking this step to enter therapy can be the turning point if you are working with a professional guide to help you not only reflect, but create new paths forward.
I have been honored to walk with individuals, couples, parents, and families who have lost hope of their circumstances ever being different, only to find themselves in places of freedom and hope they never thought possible.
This kind of change requires an environment of safety that allows the deepest part of yourself to show up and be heard and understood.
Safe space allows us to discover a fuller picture.
As a relational psychotherapist, I have spent my career creating a safe space where a therapeutic relationship is formed. Through this relationship, clients are helped to understand the complexity of what might be happening in other key relationships in their lives.
We often view our lives or our relationships similar to seeing a reflection in a mirror that we have our face against.
The process of therapy is an opportunity to step back and get a fuller picture of ourselves and our lives.
About Me
Here is a little about my background.
In the mid-90s, I received an M.A. degree in Clinical Psychology from Wheaton College. As part of my education, I was trained by expert clinicians who understood the power of depth work with clients and the importance of the clinician doing their work.
Doing my work across the years enables me to understand more fully what it means to be a client and what it means to have an attentive, self-aware clinician working with you.
Aside from my graduate education, I continue to learn through intensive workshops on couples, eating disorders, personality disorders, and neurobiology. I have participated in two separate yearlong training programs with the Oklahoma Society of Psychoanalytic Studies.
Also, I am trained to both administer and train other clinicians on the PREPARE/ENRICH inventory designed for assessing engaged, seriously dating, and married couples for relational health.
Another mission is teaching other therapists.
I have a love for teaching. As a result, I have taught two Family Systems classes in the master’s program in counseling at SNU for nearly a decade. For the last six years, I also provide training for Licensed Professional Counselors and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapists in the State of Oklahoma.
Being the director of a training clinic for over 20 years has shaped my continued desire to grow and understand how I can be most helpful to those with whom I work.
My work with others is a vital and energizing part of my life, but I also work to find other ways to energize myself.
I choose two boards to serve on at any given time because, for me, community involvement is key to understanding the complexities we each face. I am active in my faith community, always working to be an inclusive, loving part of our community.
Prioritizing and investing in my relationships with my friends and family is a focus, just as I encourage clients to do the same. I love the water and always look for opportunities to be near it, as it is often a source of renewal for me.
I love a good cup of coffee and a good novel, a run with a friend, and meaningful conversations that move me toward my own change.