“In each line’s strange syllable: she awakes
as a gull, torn
between heaven and earth.
I accept her, stand with her face to face.
— in this dream: she wears her dress
like a sail, runs behind me, stopping
when I stop. She laughs
as a child speaking to herself:
‘soul = pain + everything else.’
I bend clumsily at the knees
and I quarrel no more,
all I want is a human window
in a house whose roof is my life.”
— Ilya Kaminsky, “Marina Tsvetaeva”
Philosophy and Therapeutic Approach
In therapy, my goal is that you feel understood, supported, and equipped — not just in a general way, but in a way that helps you cope with the specific challenges you’re carrying. I want you to feel like I see you clearly, respect your choices, and believe in your ability to grow, even if you haven’t felt that in a long time.
I approach therapy as a collaborator. Together, we’ll explore what you’re walking through and look at how you want to respond to it, on your own terms and in your own timing. I might reflect back what I’m noticing, not because I think something needs to change, but because you deserve space to hear your own voice more clearly. The way you’ve coped makes sense. I simply want to help you see what’s possible from here.
I hope that through our work, you find new strengths and skills within yourself that allow you to live more freely—emotionally, relationally, and spiritually. I want you to know what safety feels like. I want you to set boundaries that honor your worth, and for you to relate to yourself with a dignity that perhaps hasn’t been modeled for you.
I draw from Gestalt, Solution-Focused, and Narrative Therapy when working with individuals, and Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) when working with couples and families. I use modalities that empower you to shift your perspective, uncover choice, and move toward a life that aligns with your deepest desires. Gestalt therapy utilizes the therapeutic relationship itself—honest, present, and mutual—as a living model for what healthy connection can feel like.
As Naomi Shihab Nye once wrote, “I would never scold the onion, for causing tears.” I hold that same posture with emotion, offering patience, gentleness, and deep respect for the ways pain shows up in our lives.
What to Expect During Therapy
When you meet with me, you may feel unsure—unsure if I’ll understand you, unsure if I’ll judge you, unsure if therapy will help. I don’t take that lightly. My first priority is to create a space where you can share anything and be met with kindness and curiosity. We’re in this together, and there’s real hope for change, even if you’ve been carrying your pain alone for a long time.
You may arrive feeling tense, guarded, overwhelmed, and eager to begin working toward solutions. I’ve been in individual therapy myself for over a decade, so I understand how vulnerable those first few sessions can feel. My approach is to first hear your story, then offer orientation to the therapeutic process, and then slowly introduce structure as we build a foundation together. You don’t have to figure it all out at once. We’ll pace things in a way that honors where you are.
I often describe therapy as sorting puzzle pieces. Each memory, emotion, behavior, or relationship pattern is part of a bigger picture. Together, we’ll work toward seeing how the pieces connect, not to rush toward answers, but to better understand the whole picture of your life.
Humor is also a part of my therapeutic approach; not as a way to gloss over pain, but as another form of presence. Sometimes, laughter breaks through tension or grief in ways that words cannot. To laugh is to heal, even if just for a moment. I will be there with you in whatever you’re feeling, whether it’s laughter or tears, anger or numbness.
As we deepen into your story, we may begin to explore what gives your life meaning, and for many people, that includes spirituality. If faith or questions about God are part of your world, I welcome that. I come from a Christian worldview and would love to explore what God means to you, how you relate to God (or don’t), and what role your faith plays in your healing process. If you’re unsure or still figuring that out, this can be a space for that, too. You set the tone, and I follow your lead.
“The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit.” — Psalm 34:18
Personal Qualifications and Experience
I’m currently completing my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Colorado Christian University. My academic foundation includes a degree in Professional Writing with a minor in Poetry from Baylor University. Long before I entered this field formally, I was drawn to the emotional and spiritual undercurrents of people’s stories—what we carry, what we long for, what has been silenced or misunderstood.
I have a lot of experience working with people who feel alone and unseen, which has shaped how I show up in the counseling room. I carry compassion, patience, and a belief that all stories deserve to be held with care.
In addition to counseling, I’m a poet. I’ve published eight books of poetry that explore themes like trauma, longing, chronic pain, spiritual disconnection, beauty, and survival. I write to make sense of what feels unspeakable, because I believe naming pain, even imperfectly, can be a form of healing. That same instinct carries into my therapeutic work: to slow down, pay attention, and offer a space where nothing has to be hidden.
Personal Interests
In my daily life, a few simple things bring me joy: my husband, my two mini-Aussies, the forest, and good food. I feel most connected to myself when I’m surrounded by beauty—writing poetry, sewing, baking something warm, painting with watercolors, hiking in the trees, singing, or skating in the quiet of an ice rink.
I’m an Enneagram 3w2, an INFJ, and a choleric-sanguine in the four temperaments. I tend to be outgoing and expressive at first. But the longer you know me, the more likely you’ll find me observing, reflecting, and making space for laughter at just the right moment.
People often describe me as joyful, creative, and determined. I try to live gently, both with myself and with others. Gentleness is the trait I seek to embody most, while courage is my greatest strength.
