New to Grow
Hello! am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in Florida, a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in Illinois, and a National Certified Counselor (NCC) with a passion for helping individuals, couples, children, teens, and families navigate life’s challenges and create meaningful, lasting change. With more than 15 years of experience working with youth, adults, and families in clinical and residential settings, I bring compassion, authenticity, and practical support to the counseling process. If desired, I integrate Christianity with therapy for those clients seeking it. I work with clients facing anxiety, depression, trauma, addiction, relationship difficulties, life transitions, behavioral concerns, self-esteem struggles, family conflict, and sexual addiction. I also help couples strengthen communication, rebuild trust, improve intimacy, and navigate challenging seasons in their relationships. My experience supporting children and adolescents allows me to effectively address emotional, behavioral, academic, and social concerns while helping young people build confidence and resilience. My approach to counseling is collaborative, strengths-based, and tailored to each client’s unique needs and goals. I believe that healing and personal growth happen within supportive relationships, and I strive to create a safe, nonjudgmental space where clients feel heard, respected, and empowered. Together, we identify strengths, overcome obstacles, and develop practical strategies that support growth and lasting change.
In your first session, you can expect a welcoming, supportive, and judgment-free environment where we begin getting to know one another and building a foundation for our work together. My goal is to help you feel comfortable sharing your concerns, experiences, and the reasons that brought you to therapy. We'll discuss your current challenges, personal history, relationships, strengths, and goals for counseling. I will take time to understand your unique situation while also answering any questions you may have about the therapy process. There is no pressure to share everything at once. We move at a pace that feels comfortable for you. By the end of our first session, you'll have a better understanding of how I work, and we'll begin identifying areas of focus and potential goals for treatment. Most importantly, I want you to leave feeling heard, understood, and hopeful, with the confidence that you have a supportive partner to help you navigate challenges and work toward meaningful, lasting change.
One of my greatest strengths is my ability to create a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental space where clients feel comfortable being themselves. I understand that reaching out for help can be difficult, so I focus on building genuine connections based on trust, respect, and collaboration. I bring more than 15 years of experience working with individuals, couples, children, teens, and families, which allows me to adapt my approach to each person's unique needs and goals. I am strengths-based and solution-focused, helping clients recognize their abilities, build resilience, and develop practical strategies they can apply in everyday life. Clients often appreciate my compassionate, authentic, and approachable style. I am committed to listening deeply, providing meaningful feedback, and helping people gain insight while also taking actionable steps toward change. Whether someone is navigating anxiety, relationship challenges, trauma, addiction, or a major life transition, I work alongside them to foster growth, healing, and lasting positive change.
My ideal client is someone who is ready to grow, even if they're not exactly sure where to start. They may be struggling with anxiety, depression, relationship challenges, addiction, life transitions, family conflict, or past experiences that continue to impact their daily life. They don't need to have everything figured out. They simply need a willingness to be open, engage in the process, and work toward meaningful change. I enjoy working with individuals, couples, children, teens, and families who are looking to better understand themselves, strengthen their relationships, and develop healthier ways of coping with life's challenges. My ideal clients are those who value a collaborative approach and are willing to explore new perspectives, build on their strengths, and take practical steps toward their goals. Whether someone is seeking healing, personal growth, improved relationships, or greater emotional well-being, I find it rewarding to support clients as they gain insight, build resilience, and create lasting positive change in their lives.
If desired, integrating your faith into therapy is one of the best ways we believe you can tackle mental health issues. It can be helpful because it blends emotional support with faith-based guidance. It allows people to explore struggles through a spiritual lens, strengthen their relationship with God, and develop coping skills rooted in their beliefs, creating a sense of alignment, hope, and purpose.
Our thoughts eventually determine our behavior. We will work on targeting negative thought patterns and in turn having better behaviors and actions. CBT is helpful because it teaches people to recognize unhelpful thought patterns and replace them with healthier ones. It builds practical coping skills, reduces stress, and supports lasting behavior change, making challenges feel more manageable and improving overall emotional well‑being.
Trauma therapy helps individuals process painful experiences in a safe, supportive environment, fostering emotional healing and resilience. It empowers clients to regain a sense of control, develop healthier coping strategies, and rebuild trust in themselves and others. With his background in the military and police force he brings real life experiences to help the sessions be more relatable
Strengths-based therapy is helpful because it focuses on your existing strengths, abilities, and resilience rather than only the challenges you are facing. By identifying what is already working in your life, we can build upon those qualities to help you navigate difficulties more effectively. This approach fosters confidence, hope, and self-awareness while empowering you to recognize your capacity for growth and change. Rather than defining you by symptoms, struggles, or past experiences, strengths-based therapy views you as a whole person with valuable skills, resources, and potential. By building on those strengths, therapy can help you develop practical solutions, increase resilience, and create meaningful, lasting change in your life.
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT) is effective because it helps people identify, understand, and transform the deeper emotions and relationship patterns that drive their distress. Rather than focusing only on symptoms or behaviors, EFT explores the underlying emotional needs and attachment bonds that influence how people relate to themselves and others. This approach helps individuals and couples develop greater emotional awareness, improve communication, strengthen connection, and create more secure relationships. Research has shown that when people feel emotionally safe, understood, and connected, they are better able to heal from past wounds, manage current challenges, and develop healthier ways of responding to stress. By addressing the root emotional experiences beneath conflict and disconnection, EFT can create meaningful and lasting change.