About Us

I truly have been honored to be working in this field for over twenty years and in private practice since 2002. I started young, maybe age 5, where my fondest early memories were sitting around the table with older people, listening to their stories, fascinated with questions and wanting to know more. Pursuing my love for psychology, in the 1990's I received my degrees from Rutgers University, BA, New Jersey City University, MA, Magna Cum Laude. With my Jersey roots, dog Bailey at the time, being fed up with family of origin dysfunction, and earned degrees in hand, I decided to move to Arizona in 2000 to explore a new environment for a year or two. Years later I now have turned into a lizard because I love the heat and the desert. I find my time restoring and re-energizing by hiking our wonderful Arizona trails, reading a great book, getting a fantastic night's sleep, painting oil/acrylic paintings, exploring new finds anywhere in nature, or finding the hidden local gems on a weekend unplanned with my son and/or significant other.

As we age and grow in life, events and circumstances can provide unforeseen challenges. Getting knocked down is painful. On the other side of pain, these challenges surprisingly became the foundation for my toughest learning and personal evolution. We forever continue to grow and change. Darkness cannot survive in the light, but sometimes it can feel that way. 

Arizona life has allowed me to practice in an environment where people move to from all over the world. I love the diversity and continue to be inspired by the fascinating stories! I have gained a humbling appreciation for the unique paths of human beings. Every hour is an amazing story that leads to seeing the inner workings of change. What a mind blowing gift for a career.

With the current increased need, acceptance, and awareness of mental health needs, especially in the subset of trauma, I am also very grateful for the opportunity to mentor and supervise wonderful and very talented counselors in training and sharing this experience/adventure in the counseling world. 

I moved with my family to Arizona when I was 7 and consider myself a native. I grew up as the youngest of 5 to a single mother in Tucson and was the first in my family to attend and graduate college obtaining my bachelor's degree in Communication from University of Arizona in 1993. Upon graduation, I traveled and worked in Asia for 3 years, teaching ESL and learning about the completely different culture and viewpoint from my own working-class roots. The biggest lesson I learned from that time is that no matter what culture we grow up in we all want love, belonging and acceptance.

I went on to pursue my master’s in social work at Arizona State University in 1997 and graduated in 1999. For the past 20 plus years since I’ve worked in both consulting with nonprofits and government on how to improve services to vulnerable populations and as a leadership development, and life coach to nonprofit and government leaders.

A lifelong pursuit of curiosity and education have been my passion. I have practiced yoga and meditation for the past 15 years and have found it to be a place of refuge to find peace in the storms of sometimes volatile, unpredictable, and painful life experiences. My enthusiasm for learning has led me to pursue a deeper understanding of emerging therapeutic advances in the last 20 years to address and heal mental health challenges in our ever increasingly complicated world. As your therapist, I will bring that sense of curiosity, openness, and commitment to applying the latest and most appropriate therapeutic advancements to our relationship.

I understand the courage and vulnerability it takes to seek professional help. You can rely on my commitment to providing a haven of safety, compassion, and trust as we work together to tap into your own vast wealth of inner resources and resilience to guide you through both the challenges and joys of life.

I use an eclectic approach to assist individuals looking to break cycles of mediocrity and overcome barriers keeping them stuck. I combine both cognitive behavioral therapy, with a person-centered approach, and believe in a strong therapeutic alliance to help clients make positive changes. I believe in advocacy for the client, and want the client to feel safe and be their truest self. Some specialty areas are: overcoming self-limiting beliefs, interpersonal relationships,  healing from abuse, depression, anxiety, behavior modification. As a certified mental performance consultant, I also work with individuals seeking to optimize performance, specialties include: mental toughness, self-talk, focus, confidence, emotional regulation, thought management, motivation, performance anxiety, leadership development, life transitions, female athlete and team development. 

My philosophy is that “the mind is the strongest muscle in the body” which comes from my unique background serving in the military for thirteen years. I emphasize personal accountability while practicing compassion. I earned my Doctorate degree in Sport and Performance Psychology specializing in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the University of Western States in 2022, and have a Master’s of Science in both Clinical Mental Health Counseling and Sport and Performance Psychology earned in 2019, also from the University of Western States.

I became a counselor and consultant because of my passion to help clients walk in the true absolute freedom and authenticity. This originated from my own journey to freedom. Personally, I enjoy spending time with family and my two daughters. I love being active and in the outdoors. I am also a professional bodybuilder and believe in fitness and nutrition as a lifestyle! 

I come from a close-knit family and, as the second of four girls, my sisters are my endless source of encouragement and inspiration.  I am an artist at heart and met my husband eight years ago at an audition for a play.  I obtained a bachelor’s degree in Intercultural Studies from Biola University in 2009 and completed my undergraduate internship in Uganda. 

My interest in counseling was born from summers spent volunteering at a camp for foster children.  I saw children who, as a result of abuse and neglect, experienced a corrupted sense of identity.  I saw similar patterns in my work as a Behavioral Health Technician, providing respite care for teenagers with behavioral health diagnoses.  I truly believe that all people are valuable and worthy of love, respect and dignity and I became curious about how we as people can help one another heal from traumatic experiences.

This sparked a curiosity about the mind; if it can be impacted by negative experiences, it must also be possible to restore the mind to wholeness through the impact of healing experiences.  As a recent graduate earning my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Grand Canyon University, I have developed a particular interest in helping women recover from trauma to reclaim their sense of value and recover a strong personal identity.  Trauma has a way of distorting our view of ourselves and our view of the world and through my own heartbreak and challenges, I have found Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) to be a useful tool to reprogram the negative and fearful thinking that comes in the wake of trauma. 

Outside of work and school, I enjoy anything creative.  I have been acting since I was three years old and have a deep love of classical theatre and Shakespeare.   My love of theatre has given me a deep appreciation for stories, and I cherish the opportunity to listen to the life stories of the clients I work with.

Hi there! :) As a therapist, I take a trauma-informed, whole-person, client-focused approach to the therapy relationship and process. I believe that the relationship between therapist and client is vital to the growth and healing process.  

I ventured into this line of work because of my love for people and a desire to provide others with a compassionate, authentic connection to heal and grow into the version of themselves that has a full toolbox of skills and self-understanding to start healing past trauma and tackle current and future stress life can bring. I believe that everyone is inherently worthy and is capable of good and healing, and I build a therapeutic foundation of trust on this belief. 

I am a Trauma-Informed, Licensed Associate Counselor who is experienced in working with a variety of individuals and their concerns and goals, such as anxiety, self-esteem and relational issues, depression, trauma/PTSD, and ADHD, as well as experience working with a variety of minority populations and ages. I have a background and Master of Arts in Women and Gender Studies, with a focus on sexual and domestic violence treatment and advocacy and a Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling. 

I have a passion for helping those who are looking for a supportive, empathetic, evidence-based, client-centered approach to their concerns and believe that my clients are the “drivers” of the therapy journey and I am their passenger holding the map and providing assistance in the growth process. I am passionate about fostering a safe, inclusive, and affirming space for individuals from all walks of life. My approach values and welcomes clients regardless of their sexual orientation, gender identity, body size, ability status, or cultural background. I am dedicated to fostering an environment where LGBTQ+ individuals, plus-sized individuals, and those from diverse minority communities feel respected, heard, and understood.

I am an Arizona native and avid reader. I love working on creative projects, baking, and spending time with my loved ones often, as it is a form of self-care for me.