I grew up in Dallas, Texas with parents who were full of love but they also faced significant challenges. Watching those close to me struggle immensely yet get up each day to work, laugh, and love inspired me to be a therapist. I had witnessed and experienced resilience first hand and wanted to share that with others.

As is true for nearly everyone, I also had (and continue to have) a lot of un-learning to do. Many of the strategies I found to cope with problems in my family helped me navigate (and even thrive) in adolescence and early adulthood but became limiting and painful as I matured. I believe, to varying degrees, everyone can benefit from exploring this dynamic for themselves.

I completed my bachelor’s degree in Psychology and went to work at The Elisa Project, a resource center for eating disorders. I pursued my graduate degree from the University of North Texas where I specialized in play therapy with children. At the time, UNT was blazing a trail in this work and my education there taught me so much more than how to work in a playroom with kids (although I learned that very well).

It taught me about the emotional development of children, about our innate tendency to move towards wellness when offered a relationship with unconditional positive regard and a place where we are seen, heard, supported, and protected. It taught me well how to attune to someone sitting across from me without needing to impose my agenda on them. And, in so doing, I would watch children unfold and heal.

This is also where I initially learned how to offer assistance with parenting, by facilitating filial therapy and in parent consultations with children I provided therapy to. Over the years, my expertise grew in a variety of mental health issues, in working with older clients, and in collaborating with multiple systems of care. I now provide parent coaching and consultations regularly.

In the first few years of my career, I worked at New Beginning Center, a domestic violence agency, offering therapy to adult and child victims of abuse as well as facilitating the Battering Intervention and Prevention Program for both men and women. Participants were usually court ordered to participate weekly for six months after an arrest.

My work at New Beginning Center was formative in helping me see the roots and effects of trauma at so many different points in a family system. It helped me develop the capacity to hold clients appropriately accountable. So often victims of abuse would take nearly all the blame for what had happened while those who had forcibly demanded control, often violently, simply would not.

I later developed a part-time private practice and saw adults, teens and children as well as provided play therapy in the homes of children in foster care.

Since that time, I have consistently held a caseload of clients providing services for general therapeutic issues.

Additionally, I worked for the Betty Ford Center Five Star Kids program. This program offered education and emotional processing for children between the ages of 7 and 12 who had been affected by a loved one’s addiction to drugs or alcohol.

Counselors met with a group of up to 12 children for three days teaching them about addiction, that the problems in their family were not their fault and ways to let their thoughts and feelings out. On the last day of a group, we facilitated an opportunity for the children to share their art or writing with their loved one and would coach parents on the best way to be good listeners for their child.

I did this work for 7 years and the strength, insight, and beauty of these children was a constant reminder of how we all start out and what we are capable of.

Upon moving to Austin in 2013, I took a role as the Director of Treatment Services for Austin Recovery, a treatment center that provided residential and intensive outpatient programming for those with substance use disorders.

At the time, Austin Recovery was able to offer treatment to those who were state funded as well as ran a program called Family House in which mothers were able to attend treatment with their young children. Despite immense financial strain, the organization was committed to offering services that integrated the mind and body. The passion and devotion of the staff members who worked there taught me so much about ways to effectively treat substance use disorders and trauma but also reinforced my belief that there are very good people in the world.

(Thought, Mood, Personality, and Substance Use Disorders; Learning Disabilities; Neurodiversity; Family Dynamics)

From there, I became the Clinical Director and later the Executive Director of Innovation360 Austin. Innovation360 offered comprehensive wrap- around care to those who were often living with complex mental health issues resulting in isolation and lack of momentum.

I facilitated countless assessments with clients and family members determining the needs of our clients and developing treatment plans.

Innovation360 also provided a service called Life Development in which team members would participate in everyday life with our clients- assisting, teaching, supporting, educating and caring for them.

My work at Innovation360 catapulted my understanding of a wide array of mental health challenges and deepened my understanding of substance use disorder treatment. Because we were engaging with clients, sometimes for years, within their world, we had a real time opportunity to watch clients navigate obstacles, rebound from setbacks, and find the connection and momentum they needed. We collaborated with experts in various fields to provide the highest class treatment.

Additionally, I often worked alongside family members assisting them in navigating their own worries and finding ways to approach sensitive and challenging family problems.

In the course of these experiences, I spoke at several conferences and also provided clinical supervision to Professional Counselor Associates who were completing requirements to attain full licensure.

In current years I have invested (and continue to engage in) over 150 hours of training in EMDR and NARM to deepen my expertise in serving those affected by trauma and disruptions to healthy human development in childhood.

I’ve had incredibly rich experiences with clients, colleagues, and mentors along the way and look forward to continuing this work for hopefully decades to come.