In my practice I work primarily with adults age 18 and older. I offer premarital, marital and individual counseling. Some common issues that I am equipped to help you work through include:
depression burnout
anxiety grief & loss
panic disorder codependency
toxic shame anger
self-worth quarter-life crisis
sexual abuse/trauma midlife transition
emotional health relationship conflict
family of origin issues spiritual issues
life coaching forgiveness
My treatment approach combines aspects of cognitive behavioral, family systems, insight-oriented, and emotion-focused therapy, integrating biblically-based, sound doctrine with evidence-based, psychological principles to provide quality professional care. I strive to create a welcoming, non-judgmental, compassionate environment, one in which my clients feel safe to process emotions and explore the difficult topics. I believe that effective treatment encompasses the whole person: physical, emotional, and spiritual.
Although my counseling is Christian-based, I welcome the opportunity to work with you regardless of your religious views or background.
I received a B.S. in Kinesiology/Exercise Technology with a minor in Psychology from Texas A&M in 1984 and spent the first part of my adult working life in the fitness industry. The years spent as a wellness counselor, personal trainer, and athletic club manager solidified my belief that physical fitness and well-being is intricately tied to emotional well-being. Two years as a fitness programmer at a psychiatric hospital and the opportunity to sit in on staff meetings with therapists and psychiatrists reignited my interest in counseling (which had been present since I was a teenager).
The next season of my life was spent raising two kids (who are now grown and who I thankfully still love spending time with), building a home in the country, renovating a 100-year-old building where I now office (hence my fascination with "reclaimed" things), working with women's ministry and creative arts teams and hospitality teams in my church, volunteering as a counselor in a crisis pregnancy center, and nurturing a growing desire to see people set free from bondage to fear, addictions, depression and past wounds.
I returned to school in 2005, earning a Master of Arts degree in Counseling from DBU. I had the privilege of working with and learning from an amazing team of mental health professionals at the Meier Clinic in Richardson, where I spent four years completing my practicum and intern hours and working as a therapist. It was my honor to work with clients from all over the U.S. (and beyond) as they came to the Meier Clinic Day Program for help with a large variety of treatment issues.
I love my work as a counselor. I am especially passionate about helping people navigate through seasons of life transition, specifically quarter-life and midlife, those times when we tend to be most likely to question and reevaluate priorities and future direction. My love for and fascination with the current creative, quirky generation of twenty-somethings ("millennials") has resulted in a constantly-growing collection of resources that I've compiled into workshop format designed to draw out unique gifts, leanings, and passions and create specific action steps to pursue their God-given dreams.
I have been married for 34 years to my college sweetheart. Our best times are spent traveling, exploring flea markets and coffee shops and bookstores and country roads, watching movies, gardening, planning, dreaming and gathering around the table with friends for a good meal and conversation.
I am licensed in the state of Texas as a Licensed Professional Counselor. I am a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. I make it my job to stay on top of treatment strategies and growing research by reading books, articles and professional journals, attending conferences and workshops, and maintaining professional alliances with other therapists.
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