LPC, 25 years of experience
If you can read this, you made the first step. Congratulations. Seeking therapy is hard. Most people delay and tell themselves that whatever they are experiencing must be the way life is. Chances are if you have reached the point to begin exploring therapy, counseling can help make your life better. While therapy is often hard, it can be an enjoyable and uplifting experience as well. I believe that you cannot laugh without a combination of insight and relief. You can expect some humor in most sessions. I have been a Licensed Professional Counselor for over 20 years. In that time I have worked with men, women, teens, and families on a wide variety of issues. Sometimes that work simply involved helping them through a particular incident or life change that overwhelmed them. Other times our work together centered around longstanding issues of depression, anxiety, trauma, and addiction. In addition to traditional cognitive behavioral therapy, I also offer a fourth-wave therapy, Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT). I have found this technique to be highly effective in helping people with trauma and or anxiety. Our minds and bodies are connected. Anyone who has experienced a tight neck and shoulders or an upset stomach when they were stressed knows this. EFT uses acupressure (done by the client) and cognitive interventions to provide fast and effective relief. With over 20 years of clinical experience, I am ready to help you through the challenges you are facing. In addition to counseling, I also provide vocational testing, coaching, and consulting. I provide both Christian and secular counseling depending on the needs of my clients. For clients with high level confidentiality concerns due to corporate or clearance issues, there are ways we can do EFT without you ever speaking out loud about events.
First sessions can be very busy. I always want to make sure clients have an opportunity to ask questions they may have about therapy or me before we dig into things. You can expect me to ask about what brings you in for counseling and then spend some time getting details about the impact of your problems on all aspects of your life. I will also collect some background information to get a better understanding of the context that your concerns grow out of. Once that is done, we develop a plan together including your goals for therapy.
I understand that most problems are not simple. Many people with anxiety often also have ADHD and the two conditions interact with each other. Most people struggling with substance abuse almost always began using the substance due to anxiety, depression, and or trauma. Everyone has core beliefs about how the world works and mental filters through which they process information. We develop them at a young age. When we reach new stages of life, they do not always work as well as they used to. Therapy is a time to examine them with our current minds. I work with people to help them not only deal with current problems they are facing but also adjust how they approach life going forward to better handle life's next big challenge.
I like working with professionals. Having worked in both public safety and healthcare, I understand and enjoy working with people coming out of those areas. While I am happy to see people of any faith or no faith., I do specialize in Christian faith based counseling. I also really enjoy working with people with anxiety disorders and ADHD. You really do not have to get it together before we start working together.
In addition to Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), I utilize Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT or Tapping). CBT works on the thoughts and feelings at or just below the surface of our consciousness. Often this is highly effective with anxiety and depression. However, it is not as helpful with trauma and sometimes the old thoughts and feelings return like weeds. Using EFT, I help people work through the memories that created the negative thought patterns, feelings, and world views that keep coming back despite our best logical efforts. One way it works is by helping the bodies energy systems that store these memories unblock so the memories can be processed and released. EFT also helps by helping executive brain functions stay on line while processing troubling memories. I find EFT helps people make deep shifts of understanding while releasing the emotional intensity of strong negative emotions.
I offer both secular and Christian Counseling. Issues of faith are worked into counseling at a level that the client chooses. Many Christian's struggle with issues of faith that impact their mental health. I often find that these problems come from beliefs that emerge from commonly held Christian Cultural assumptions as opposed to actual scriptural precepts.
CBT can help people more closely examine their thinking that is causing them emotional distress. The basic rule of being in counseling with CBT is "Don't believe everything you think." By talking through your thoughts and feelings you are able to uncover mistake in thinking that are causing your emotional responses. CBT also involves behavioral challenge assignments. These assignment help solidify new thinking and can also help expose where the more work needs to be done.
5 ratings with written reviews
June 9, 2025
Really good at digging into the right questions to ask! Helps you figure out what you should be thinking about to resolve your troubles.
May 20, 2025
great session
March 31, 2025
Made a comment saying it looked like i was withdrawling off of drugs when i had just told him i was sober for 8 months . I found that very hurtful and offensive.