Where It All Began

I grew up in Dallas, Texas with parents who were full of love but also faced immense challenges. Watching those close to me struggle yet rise 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 a lot of un-learning to do. Many of the ways I found to cope with the challenges my family faced helped me navigate and even thrive in adolescence and early adulthood. Those same strategies became limiting and painful as I matured. I believe, to varying degrees, everyone can benefit from exploring this dynamic for themselves. 

Eating Disorders; Children and Parenting

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.

Domestic Violence

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 being arrested for abusing a domestic partner. 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. 

General Therapy, Children in Foster Care, & Children Affected by Familial Addiction

I later had 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. Simultaneously I worked at 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 would meet with a group of 8- 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 the groups, we would facilitate 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. 

Substance Use Disorder Treatment

Shortly after having my daughter, I moved to Austin, TX and 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 children. Despite immense financial strain, the organization was committed to offering services that integrated the mind and body connection. 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. 

Complex Mental Health Challenges and Family Dynamics

(Thought, Mood, Personality, and Substance Use Disorders; Neurodivergence)

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 often resulting in isolation and lack of momentum. Many, although not all, of our clients were older teens and young adults. I facilitated countless assessments with clients and family members determining the needs of our clients and developing a treatment team and objectives. 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. In a way, it was a return to my early days of play therapy, just with adults. 

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. 

Speaking Engagements, Clinical Supervision, and Ongoing Study

In the course of these experiences, I had the honor of speaking at several conferences and providing clinical supervision to new therapists entering the field. I’ve also pursued and continue to participate in specialized training for EMDR, EFT, NARM, Complex PTSD, and DBT. 

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

EMDR- Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing

EFT- Emotion- Focused Therapy

NARM- Neuroaffective Relational Model

Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Dialectic Behavior Therapy