I am a psychotherapist with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology and a Master in Social Work from The Ohio State University. I have enjoyed counseling and mentoring others in their counseling skills for several years as a supervisor and licensed independent social worker with supervisory designation (LISW-S) in the State of Ohio. In a new adventure with my family, I am excited to acquire my SD license and offer support to the SD communities as a Certified Social Worker in Private or Independent Practice (CSW PIP).
I have experiences in several health care, mental health and substance abuse treatment settings that have allowed me to extensively work with both youth and adults encountering a multitude of life stressors. Examples of these include, but are not limited to, fear/anxiety, depression, lacking a support system or a safe place to express yourself, alcohol and/or other drug use issues, parenting troubles, marital discord, physical/emotional/sexual abuse, various adjustment issues, perinatal issues, chronic and/or life-limiting health issues and grief from various losses including divorce and expected or unexpected death(s).
I also provide support when experiencing any undesired behaviors that significantly affect relationships, school or job performance or one’s overall functioning on a daily basis. If one has undesired behaviors, it can stem from a current hurt and be complicated by painful past hurts. There are proven strategies I teach to help lessen these behaviors and the accompanying emotional pain. Regarding past hurts, if wanted, I can help one gain awareness of his/her ‘story’ to better understand these undesired behaviors, and how incredibly appropriate these were in the past when one needed them. This is accomplished using therapeutic narrative exercises in trauma-informed treatment to connect to the past to help understand the present. When we gain self-awareness, our hurts don’t necessarily go away, but our feelings of ‘craziness’ for having unwanted thoughts/feelings/behaviors can lessen and bring a greater sense of peace.
It is my belief that each and every person has the capacity for healing, and that seeking mental health support for emotional pain should be just as common as seeing a medical doctor or other helping professional when you have physical pain. If you or someone you care about are ready to work to lessen the hurting, and would like to schedule an appointment, please feel free to contact me. I will have both daytime and evening appointments for your scheduling convenience.
