I am a nationally certified licensed professional counselor, offering person-centered goal directed therapy. Clients are greeted with a warm safe environment where thoughts and feelings can be openly expressed without judgement. I genuinely listen with an empathetic ear and validate feelings. I also encourage and help clients to increase their overall self-regulation and executive functioning skills. My hope is that the therapy process will help clients to grow towards self discovery, self acceptance, and healing.
In our first session together, we'll start with brief introductions, then dive into the specific challenges you're facing. This will help me create a tailored plan for us to work through in follow-up sessions.
My specialties are related to trauma treatment, treating all ages and backgrounds.
My ideal clients are individuals who have experienced trauma and are seeking support to process and heal from those experiences. I am best positioned to work with individuals struggling with symptoms related to PTSD, anxiety, depression, and distress connected to past traumatic events. Many of the clients I serve feel stuck in patterns of worry, emotional reactivity, intrusive memories, or negative beliefs about themselves that developed as a result of difficult life experiences. I work well with clients who are motivated to better understand their experiences and are open to learning skills that help them regulate emotions, reduce distress, and build a stronger sense of safety and self-confidence. My approach is compassionate, structured, and trauma-informed, helping clients move at a pace that feels safe while still making meaningful progress toward their goals. I have specialized training and certifications in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), which allows me to tailor treatment to each client’s needs. Using these evidence-based approaches, I help clients process traumatic memories, challenge unhelpful beliefs related to trauma, and develop healthier coping strategies so they can move forward with greater resilience and emotional well-being.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
Using a person-centered approach, I like to emphasize the client's ability for self understanding, viewing the client as the expert of their own experiences. I create a warm, supportive, and empathic environment where client's can discover and explore their own thoughts and feelings without judgement.
EMDR
I utilize Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy as an approach for helping clients process and heal from traumatic experiences. I have completed formal training and working towards my certification in EMDR and incorporate it into treatment with individuals experiencing symptoms related to PTSD, anxiety, distressing memories, and negative core beliefs that developed from past events. My approach to EMDR is structured, collaborative, and trauma-informed. I begin by ensuring that clients have a strong foundation of coping and grounding skills, such as resourcing, containment, and calm place exercises, so they feel safe and supported before processing traumatic material. I work closely with clients to identify meaningful targets, including past experiences, current triggers, and future situations where they would like to respond differently. During the reprocessing phases of EMDR, I guide clients through bilateral stimulation while they focus on specific memories, thoughts, emotions, and body sensations. This process helps the brain reprocess distressing experiences so they become less emotionally overwhelming and more adaptive beliefs can develop. Throughout the process, I prioritize pacing and client readiness, ensuring that the work remains manageable and empowering. I view EMDR as a powerful tool that allows clients to process experiences that may have felt “stuck” for years. My goal is to help clients reduce the emotional intensity of traumatic memories, shift negative beliefs about themselves, and build a stronger sense of resilience and self-trust moving forward.
Trauma-Focused CBT
I utilize Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT) as an evidence-based approach for supporting children, adolescents, and young adults who have experienced trauma. I have completed specialized training and certification in TF-CBT and integrate its structured components to help clients process traumatic experiences while building healthy coping skills. My approach to TF-CBT is collaborative, developmentally appropriate, and trauma-informed. I work with clients to build foundational skills in emotional regulation, relaxation, and coping before gradually moving into trauma processing. Through psychoeducation, cognitive coping strategies, and skill-building, clients learn how trauma can affect thoughts, emotions, behaviors, and the body. A key component of my work involves helping clients safely process their trauma narrative at a pace that feels manageable and supportive. I guide clients in identifying and challenging unhelpful or inaccurate beliefs related to their experiences while reinforcing more balanced and empowering perspectives. When appropriate, I also incorporate caregiver involvement to strengthen support systems and improve communication, which is an important element of the TF-CBT model. My goal when using TF-CBT is to help clients reduce trauma-related distress, increase their sense of safety and control, and develop healthier ways of understanding and responding to their experiences so they can move forward with greater confidence and resilience.
Cognitive Processing (CPT)
I utilize Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) as an evidence-based treatment for individuals experiencing symptoms related to trauma and PTSD. I have completed specialized training and certification in CPT and use this structured approach to help clients understand and shift the unhelpful beliefs that often develop following traumatic experiences. My approach to CPT focuses on helping clients examine how trauma has influenced the way they think about themselves, others, and the world. Many individuals develop “stuck points,” or rigid beliefs such as self-blame, guilt, shame, or beliefs that the world is completely unsafe. Through CPT, I work collaboratively with clients to identify these beliefs and evaluate whether they are accurate or helpful. In sessions, I guide clients through structured exercises and worksheets that support cognitive restructuring and help them develop more balanced and realistic ways of thinking. We also explore common trauma-related themes such as safety, trust, power and control, esteem, and intimacy. Throughout this process, I encourage clients to reflect on how their thoughts influence their emotions and behaviors, and we work together to replace unhelpful patterns with more adaptive perspectives. My goal when using CPT is to help clients reduce trauma-related distress, increase self-compassion, and regain a stronger sense of control and confidence in their lives. By learning to challenge and modify trauma-related beliefs, clients are often able to move forward with greater clarity, resilience, and emotional well-being.