New to Grow
Hello and welcome! You’ve taken the first step by recognizing you need support. Counseling is extremely personal, and finding a good fit is key to success. I offer you over 20 years of experience working in the mental health field. I have an undergraduate degree in Psychology with a minor in Chemistry (2001), and a graduate degree in Community Counseling (2006). I received my LPC in 2008. I have 12 years experience working in a non-profit organization offering psychoeducation, group, individual, family, and couples counseling from pre-school to adult within agency, school and court settings. During that time, I spent over 7 years supervising and mentoring interns, supervising other clinicians toward licensure, as well as managing staff and developing clinical programs. In 2011, I took a leap fulfilling a dream by opening my private practice specializing in gifted and twice exceptional/neurodiverse individuals. Outside of work, I volunteer (2003-present) with the National Council on Youth Leadership helping challenge high school juniors and seniors to broaden their leadership skills through experiential learning opportunities. I am and active parent to three and serve on the PTO board of my children’s elementary school. In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family outside (gardening, hiking, biking and kayaking), crafting (quilting, painting, and paper crafts), and reading a variety of books.
We will spend some time getting to know each to build comfort and rapport. I want to know about your special interests, hobbies, extracurricular activities, important people and pets. Tell me when you most feel like yourself. Next, we will talk about your experience with counseling, talking about what to expect in our work together, and answering any questions or concerns you have regarding the process. Then, I want to hear in your words, what is bringing you to counseling and what you are hoping will be better afterwards. We will explore what strategies you’ve already tried, what is working and what isn’t working. Together we will set goals for therapy. As we continue to work together, immediate stressors will always take priority. Sometimes those stressors are unique and separate from the identified issue, while other times we will explore how they tie into the patterns in your life. As a therapist, I am both directive and non-directive. I will follow your lead, but will also pull us back on course when needed.
I don’t think a therapist needs to have experienced everything a client has to be able to help them. However, having lived experience does make a significant difference for some. As a gifted and twice exceptional adult, married to a gifted and twice exceptional spouse, raising three gifted and twice exceptional children, I can relate on a personal level to many of the stressors of my clients. I also recognize that our needs and the strategies that work for me and my family may not work for others. That is why I work to explore out of the box strategies that best fit your needs and personality. As a clinician, our graduate training does not explore gifted and twice exceptional/neurodiverse issues specifically. Therefore, I have continuously sought out continuing education to best support this population. I also consult regularly with like-minded therapists for resources, training, and support. All of this helps my clients feel heard, understood, and supported.
I specialize in working with gifted and twice exceptional/neurodiverse individuals. Being gifted is about how we take in information and process the world around us. Sometimes being gifted is hard, because we take in too much. Too much information, too many possibilities, too many feelings, and it can all get a bit overwhelming. Together we will tackle imposter syndrome and feelings of inadequacy. We will learn about and talk through big emotions, physical sensations, and sensory overwhelm to help you regulate. We will come up with strategies that help you navigate all the possibilities and make decisions that work for you. I have experience helping individuals navigate school, career, family and life transitions. I also have experience and clinical training to help you with anxiety, fear, OCD, intrusive thoughts, self-esteem, career/parent – life balance, ASD, ADHD, and executive function difficulties. My ideal clients include… Middle Schoolers navigating changing friendships, getting involved in new activities, and taking on increased responsibilities at home; High Schoolers juggling extracurriculars while working toward independence and making decisions about class schedules and future opportunities; College Students overwhelmed with selecting a major, travel abroad opportunities, or internships, while also exploring who they are as individuals; Young Professionals/Adults starting their careers, navigating co-working/supervisor relationships, and building personal relationships and families of their own; Established Professionals/Adults seeking new careers that better fit their changing interests/needs, working toward better career-life balance, and being supportive parents for their growing families; Retiring Professionals/Adults adjusting to changing schedules and purpose, both personally and professionally.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) involves recognizing the role our thoughts play in influencing our emotions and behaviors. By challenging and reframing our negative unhelpful thinking, we can shift out of behavior patterns that previously made us feel stuck. CBT offers us a feeling of control instead of helplessness, positively impacting our self-esteem, mood, and outlook on life.
Acceptance and commitment (ACT)
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) involves learning to face and accept uncomfortable emotions or thoughts about ourselves, by changing our relationship with those thoughts and feelings. ACT incorporates mindfulness and CBT techniques. Mindfulness involves letting go and taking in life in the present moment. ACT offers us a glimpse of who we are, who we want to be, and a path to move forward to the life we want to live.
Psychoeducation
Psychoeducation involves providing neuroscientific information about how the brain and the body interact during times of stress. Our body tells us a lot about how we feel if we listen. Interoception involves bringing awareness to our body's internal signals to enhance emotional regulation and self-understanding. The more we know about ourselves, the more we can tailor coping skills and strategies to match our specific needs.
Person-centered (Rogerian)
Person-centered therapy involves building a client-therapist connection that creates a safe, authentic, empathetic, non-judgemental, supportive environment where clients can explore their thoughts and feelings openly. Person-centered recognizes that you know your experience best. Together we can learn from your experience to help you become your best self.