Hi and welcome to my page! I am so happy you found me and are taking a look around. If you are considering therapy, I think the most important thing to know about me is….I am human just like you! I have experienced pain, trials, ups, downs and all the beautiful in-betweens in life. I am a mother, a wife, a friend, and a woman who loves God. I know that connecting with people, bearing witness to their “stuff”, and sitting in the hard places is where the healing happens.
Therapy will be your safe place. I come along side you right where you are. I provide a relaxed, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment. We move at your pace and comfort level. I understand that it is not easy to talk about the things that weigh heavy on your heart. This is a no pressure, no stress zone.
I love working with children and parents. I am a parent too and let’s face it, it is really hard! All we want is happy and healthy children. Sometimes along the way, our kids get stuck, face challenges, develop new personality traits, or really push our buttons. I believe the best parenting advice I have ever learned and also practice myself, is to learn to manage your own stuff first. When we are in check, tuned in, and aware of what’s going on with us, it makes it so much easier to parent and model appropriate behavior for our kids. A screaming mama screaming at her kids to stop screaming is so double standard right?!? We have all been there and done that.
As a woman, I have a special place in my heart for the issues that teen girls and women face. One of the most treated issues in my practice with teens girls and women is anxiety and depression. These two have a way of showing up in our lives and completely taking over. The good news I want to tell you is that they are manageable. A lot of my teen girls and women enjoy tapping into their creative side and using art, therapeutic journaling, and music in session. Sandtray techniques (one of my favs!), continues to be such a powerful and healing modality. There is a lot of research and neuroscience that explains why this is so powerful and effective. I think it’s important to have a fun in session while you work on the hard stuff. We rarely sit and just talk, unless you prefer it that way.
Owning a practice has always been a dream of mine. I graduated from ECU (go pirates!) in 2004 with my BA in Psychology and started working right away in community mental health. I quickly realized that I really loved working with people, joining them in their challenges, and figuring out a way to get them one step close to the life they wanted. After working the field for a while, I determined that in order to do what I really wanted to do, (clinical therapy) I had to attend graduate school. So, after much research and exploring what programs would fit me best, I earned my Master’s of Social Work in 2012. I then continued post graduate clinical work to earn my license as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in 2014.
My passion is play – both inside and outside of the therapy room. Play is not just for kids! Teens and adults need play too. I also love teaching everyone that walks into my office about the importance of understanding your nervous system and how this impacts how you show up in the world. I am trained in Theraplay Level One, complete monthly trainings with the Southern Sandtray Institute, working on a certification in HeartMath and use elements of CBT, ACT, and IFS in session. My long term goal is to become a Registered Play Therapist.
I also provide supervision to LCSWA. I had an amazing supervisor while earning my clinical hours and I knew this was something I wanted to offer to others. If you are a recent graduate or have decided you want to start pursuing your LCSWA, I would love to chat with you to see if we are a good fit to work together.
When I am not in the office, you can find me spending time with my husband, two children and our sweet and silly Bernedoodle, Sugar. I love to craft, create, and spend time outdoors. My day at home is not complete without sipping lots of coffee, tripping over messes, consoling a kid, and carving out some quiet time for myself.
Are you ready to talk more about how I can help you? Call, email, or click here right now to book a free 10 minute phone consultation. I look forward to talking with you.
