LMHC, 4 years of experience
I’m a licensed mental health counselor and educator with over 2 decades of experience supporting emotional well-being, academic/personal growth, and personal resilience. I’ve worked across clinical and educational settings—supporting individuals through grief, trauma, addiction, mental health diagnoses, and crisis, while also helping people to overcome blocking narratives. I currently work in acute crisis settings at Central Florida Behavioral Hospital, work with veterans and community health with Families First of Florida, and have a private practice at Here and Now Counseling Center. I have a deep level of understanding and work with the Peace and Justice Institute to bring awareness to diversity, hidden bias and systemic racism. My approach is holistic and strengths-based, rooted in the belief that healing and growth happen in safe, inclusive environments where every person can recognize their resilience and thrive. And the best part? I am a mother of 3 daughters-2 in college and one in elementary school. I stay busy!
In our first session, we will discuss how therapy is work and change takes time. We will complete the intake process, begin to build trust and rapport within the therapeutic relationship, and discuss your treatment goals. You will have time to help me understand the best way I can support you. I want to help you thrive in interpersonal relationships while learning how to manage work/ school/ life balance Together, we will unlock and sift through the softer sides of your emotions while unlocking your story the way you want to tell it. .
I am trauma-sensitive with roots in life span development and multiculturalism. My first career as a High School Teacher in Orange Count Public Schools helps me to understand ADHD, educational trauma, and Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACES) experiences and enjoy working with adolescents and young adults. Whatever the age, I am good at helping clients see the ways they create maladaptive behaviors and narratives, which make it difficult to function in the present.
I absolutely love my job and working with people who are seeking to uncover their authentic selves while healing their Complex PTSD. My clients are nurtured in a therapeutic environment to process their story while deepening self-acceptance and self-love. I specialize in adolescent mental health, but enjoy working with people of all ages. I work well with people in periods of adjustment and help clients to see that pain is a catalyst for change. I help clients see the opportunity in their struggle. This may be adjusting to a new home, a new diagnosis, or breakup.
Trauma-informed therapy helps individuals recognize how past trauma influences patterns of codependency and insecure attachment, empowering them to set healthier boundaries and develop secure connections. By fostering safety, self-awareness, and emotional regulation, it supports healing from relational wounds that drive unhealthy dependency or fear-based attachment styles.
Culturally sensitive therapy validates a client’s identity and lived experiences, creating a space where they feel seen, respected, and understood. This foundation of respect fosters trust, which is essential for authentic healing and meaningful therapeutic progress.
The Jungian perspective helps clients explore the unconscious mind, including archetypes and shadow aspects, to uncover hidden motivations and internal conflicts. By integrating these parts of the self, clients gain deeper self-awareness and move toward psychological wholeness and healing.