“[Christ’s love,] Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights! Live full lives, full in the fullness of God.  God can do anything, you know—far more than you could ever imagine or guess or request in your wildest dreams! -Ephesians 3:16-20 (The Message

Philosophy and Therapeutic Approach

The foundation behind anything I have ever wanted to do (and have ever seen actually work!), is Love. God says you and I are more important than anything else He has ever made, and you are extravagantly loved by Him. I want to know and love you too!

I’ve learned that when we fill up with God’s amazing love, we overflow to others. Sounds simple, and it is! But there is also hard work to get there: being open, vulnerable, letting down our guards enough to trust. Knowing when, how, and with whom to do so. I believe trust is earned, and given.

The process of therapy takes us on a deep, exploratory dive into discovering our authentic selves. I believe healing can occur when we live out what we truly believe instead of fighting or hiding from our values, beliefs, and desires. Are you ready to take the plunge?

What to Expect in Therapy

There is no doubt about it–therapy is hard work! However, the benefits are life changing! It helps us grow in good fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).

On the journey, what is in the dark is naturally brought into the light as you choose to reveal yourself. I will bring warmth, care, and acceptance to all parts of you. I hope to bring clarity from truth spoken gently in love. If you feel stuck, I hope to guide you to freedom. I will be following your lead on where you want to go–not assuming, but rather asking which parts of your life you want to explore and the ways that I can be most present with you.

I love offering creative approaches such as painting, coloring, drawing, sculpting, music, dance, sound meditations, drama with role playing, and body movement to release emotions. I am here to offer a listening ear, a warm hug, shared tears, or a hearty laugh. Whatever you might need!

Personal Qualifications and Experience

As a fellow human, I understand life is a  journey. I know what it is like to attempt suicide, to self-harm, to be bullied, and to lose loved ones to drugs and other early endings. I know what it is like to go through divorce, to be ostracized in a blended family, to wrestle with guilt, shame and emotional pain. I can empathize with the trauma of being wrongfully accused, fighting ongoing disease, moving in the midst of loneliness, and being rejected and burnt out.

Every one of these experiences, including my salvation by Jesus Christ, has led me to choose to be a counselor so that I can share the comfort God has given me with those who may be in need of the same comfort. (2 Cor. 1:3-5)

I always knew I wanted to help people fully express themselves and find healing. Several life experiences enriched my journey toward becoming a therapist, and I received my Bachelors of Psychology in 2002 at the University of Wyoming, and then earned my Master’s degree in Counseling in 2007 from Denver Seminary.

I have worked with traumatized youth in residential treatment centers, children at the Mental Health Center of Denver, and diverse family units as a child welfare caseworker. From there, I went into the addiction field and worked both in abstinence and harm reduction models of treatment while supporting adults through substance abuse and addictions to gambling, sex, eating, and others.

Throughout this time, I spent 20 years volunteering as a youth group leader helping preteens and teens discover their identities as they walked through divorce, suicidal thoughts, self-harming behaviors, as well as feelings of guilt, shame, anxiety and depression.

I am humbled and honored to now serve as a clinical supervisor as I support other counselors in their clinical self discovery. I have learned to love both the chaos and metamorphosis of therapy-the progress of us growing from death to life.

Personal Interests

My inner child’s got to play! I make sure to still do what I enjoyed as a child: build forts, dress up, paint rocks and canvases, create pottery, make mud pies, jump on trampolines, and climb trees just for the fun of it!

Growing up in Wyoming and Colorado means I love hiking trails with waterfalls, standing on tall mountains with the wind at my back, and reading books in my hammock while listening to my windchime. I love rejoicing in the pure joy of my dogs at the dog park, paddleboarding, water Zumba, swimming, board, and lawn games, laughing at my husband’s bad dad jokes, and hugs! My next dream is to return to riding horses.

CHECK OUT THESE BLOGS WRITTEN BY ANGELA

–How to Turn Off Your Emotions
–Top 4 Christian Counseling Myths Debunked

NEXT STEPS