My passion is helping hurting people regain their lives, sense of direction, and wellness. I assist clients in discovering the roots of their present-day issues and work to foster healthy self-perceptions and relationships. When people experience trauma, pain, or mental illness in their lives, it can feel difficult to cope, let alone function. My path to becoming a psychologist was a clear one for me; I always had a desire to help people in distress. If someone was upset, I seemed to know it (even without a word) and wanted to do something. I worked as a professor for about seven years early on in my career but preferred working one-on-one with people in private practice. Starting counseling can be challenging. Talking about trauma, flaws, and imperfections is sometimes not what we want to do. However, when we’ve been hurt by people and circumstances, we need someone to talk to. I believe counseling is a wonderful place for people to finally work through issues and problems that have been bothering them. I am nonjudgmental and feel comfortable letting a client lead in sessions if we are making good progress. I am a stickler for confidentiality because, without that, no one would want to come to therapy. I focus on creating a meaningful and safe working relationship where clients can talk about their history as well as what is going on in the moment. I take an eclectic approach depending on the reasons for referral. I offer EMDR as one modality for treating trauma, and also have experience in providing Christian counseling.