Licensed to practice in Minnesota and accepts 10 insurances. Specializes in Couples Counseling, First Responders/Healthcare Workers, Military/Veterans and 5 more.
(she/her)
New to Grow
I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) with more than 20 years of experience working with adults facing anxiety, depression, trauma, relationship challenges, substance use, life transitions, and complex mental health concerns. My career has included outpatient therapy, intensive outpatient treatment, veterans' mental health, substance use treatment, forensic behavioral health, and clinical leadership. These experiences have taught me that people are rarely defined by a diagnosis or a single difficult chapter in their lives. I try to understand the whole person—their experiences, relationships, strengths, challenges, and what matters most to them. My style is warm, straightforward, collaborative, and practical. I won't simply tell you what you want to hear, but I also won't judge you for where you are. I believe good therapy should give you a place to feel understood while also helping you develop insight, skills, and realistic strategies for moving forward. I draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, DBT skills, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Cognitive Processing Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, and Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy. I tailor these approaches to the individual rather than expecting the individual to fit a particular treatment model. You don't need to be in crisis to begin therapy, and you don't need to have everything figured out before you start. If you're feeling stuck, overwhelmed, disconnected, or ready for something to change, therapy can be a place to slow down, make sense of what's happening, and begin figuring out what comes next. My goal is for you to leave therapy not only feeling heard, but also feeling more capable of handling your life with greater clarity, confidence, and choice.
Our first session is an opportunity for me to begin getting to know **you—not just your symptoms or the reason you decided to seek therapy. I want to understand what brings you here, what you've experienced, what is important to you, and what you hope will be different as a result of therapy. I believe you are the expert on your own life. You know yourself, your experiences, your relationships, and your circumstances better than anyone else. My role is not to tell you how to live your life or to “fix” you. Instead, I hope we can partner together to understand what is happening, identify what may be getting in the way, and develop strategies that move you toward the life you want. Therapy is a collaborative process, and that means **I won't do the work for you—but I won't expect you to do it alone, either. I'll bring my clinical experience, knowledge, perspective, and therapeutic tools; you bring your expertise about yourself and your life. As we work together, we'll identify goals that are meaningful to you and regularly check in about whether therapy is helping. My ultimate goal isn't for you to need therapy forever. Ideally, our work together helps you develop the insight, confidence, and skills to eventually work me out of a job. Your first session isn't about having all the answers. It's about beginning a conversation, seeing whether we're a good fit, and taking the first step toward understanding what you need and where you want to go.
I want you to feel heard and respected, but I also believe therapy should help you move forward. When it is appropriate, I will gently challenge you to look at patterns, assumptions, choices, or behaviors that may be keeping you stuck. I won't simply tell you what you want to hear, but I will work to make sure you feel supported as we explore difficult things. I'm also a strong believer in making therapy practical. We will work toward skills and insights that you can actually use outside of our sessions—not simply talk about change without taking steps toward it. Finally, I take your time, trust, and financial resources seriously. My goal is not to keep you in therapy indefinitely. If I believe another therapist, specialty, or level of care would better meet your needs, I will be honest with you and help you consider other options. I see referring someone elsewhere when appropriate as part of being a good steward of the trust and resources you have invested in therapy. Ultimately, I hope our work together helps you become more confident in understanding yourself, navigating challenges, and making the changes you want to make.
I work especially well with adults who are ready for something to change but may not know exactly where to begin. You may be dealing with anxiety, depression, stress, trauma, relationship concerns, substance use, a difficult life transition, or simply feeling stuck in patterns that aren't working for you anymore. Many of the people I work with are capable, thoughtful, and used to handling things on their own. You may be the person others rely on while privately wondering how much longer you can keep doing things the same way. You don't have to be in crisis to benefit from therapy. I work best with people who want therapy to be more than simply having someone listen. You can expect me to listen carefully and meet you where you are, while also helping you look at patterns, choices, and perspectives that may be keeping you stuck. When appropriate, I will challenge you—but I will do so with respect and compassion. You don't have to arrive with everything figured out. You also don't have to be perfectly ready to change. We can start wherever you are. What I do ask is that you be willing to participate in the process. I believe you are the expert on your own life, and my role is to bring clinical experience, perspective, and practical tools to our partnership.
CBT is a practical approach that looks at the connection between what we think, how we feel, and how we respond or behave. When we're struggling, it can be easy to get caught in patterns of thinking or reacting that make difficult situations even harder. CBT can help you identify those patterns, consider whether they are helpful or accurate, and develop more effective ways of responding. CBT can be particularly helpful for concerns such as anxiety, depression, stress, low self-esteem, and feeling stuck in patterns that you would like to change. Our work may include learning to recognize unhelpful thought patterns, developing new coping strategies, changing behaviors that aren't serving you well, and practicing these skills between sessions. The goal isn't to “think positively” or pretend difficult things aren't happening. Instead, CBT helps you develop a more balanced and useful way of understanding yourself and responding to life's challenges.
CPT is a structured, evidence-based therapy designed to help people who are struggling after experiencing trauma or other deeply distressing events. After something traumatic happens, it is common for our understanding of ourselves, other people, or the world to change. You may find yourself thinking things like, “I should have done something differently,” “I can't trust anyone,” or “I'm never safe.” Sometimes these beliefs can keep us feeling stuck long after the event itself has passed. CPT helps you examine the thoughts and beliefs that developed following trauma and determine whether they are still serving you. Together, we work toward developing a more balanced understanding of what happened and how it affects you today. CPT is active and structured, and you will be an important participant in the work. It isn't about forgetting what happened or telling yourself that the experience wasn't difficult. Instead, the goal is to help you process what happened so that the past has less control over your present.
Integrative Behavioral Couples Therapy (IBCT) is a couples therapy approach that helps partners understand and change the patterns that contribute to relationship distress. When couples are stuck in conflict, it can feel like the problem is simply that your partner won't listen, won't change, or doesn't understand you. Over time, couples can become caught in cycles where each person's response unintentionally makes the other person's response stronger. IBCT helps couples step back from those cycles and understand what is happening between you rather than focusing only on who is right or wrong. We work to identify patterns, communicate more effectively, and develop greater understanding and acceptance of each person's experiences and differences. This doesn't mean giving up on change or simply learning to tolerate unhealthy behavior. Instead, the goal is to help couples understand their relationship more deeply while developing more effective ways of responding to one another. As your therapist, I won't take sides. I will work with both of you to understand the relationship, identify patterns that are causing distress, and help you determine what changes are needed to create a healthier relationship.