About Me

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My journey to this work hasn’t been direct, but each step has contributed to where I am today. I began my professional life as counselor and case manager working with women and children fleeing domestic and sexual abuse.  I served for 12 years as a United Methodist pastor, walking alongside families across the entire lifespan from birth to death and through every sort of challenge and transition.  Foster and adoptive parenting led to an interest in trauma, grief, and loss. After working at Duke on a team researching evidence-based interventions for stress and burnout, I returned to graduate school to earn a degree in counseling. I have had the privilege of spending time working alongside counselors in a school setting and gained valuable insight into the world young people face when they cross the threshold into school each day. My husband and I are parents to two boys, now themselves navigating the challenges of adolescence, and I understand the challenges that face parents who seek the best for their children. 

 

When I’m not working, you will probably find me reading a book, out on a run, advocating for strong public schools, or gathering people on my back porch in my own messy, complicated, and emergent family life!

 

 

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I meet clients right where you are, with compassion, warmth, and a little bit of humor. I work to de-stigmatize seeking support for the challenges you face. My goal is a collaborative relationship with you that allows you to recognize and build on your strengths towards healing.

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My approach to counseling is shaped by the outcome-oriented Solution-Focused Therapy while also informed by CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy) and ACT (Acceptance and Commitment Therapy).  I am always looking for creative ways to make connections with and for clients, while remaining committed to applying evidence-based practices as you navigate significant life transitions, questions of identity, and the grief that inevitably comes when living through change and uncertainty.