LMHC, 10 years of experience
Frequently rebooked
Based in central Indiana, I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) in the state of Indiana and Board certified nationally registered art therapist (ATR) with a decade of professional work experience. I support adult clients with general issues like coping with stress; managing depression and anxiety; enhancing communication styles and interpersonal effectiveness; and coping with life transitions. I am trained and qualified to provide clinical assessment and diagnosis, as well as provide psychoeducation about a variety of mental health conditions and medication management. I cannot prescribe medication, but I do work with prescribers to help clients navigate medication treatment.
First sessions can be really overwhelming. It is a courageous and vulnerable thing to trust a stranger with the tough stuff, but the more I know about you and what you are trying to accomplish, the better able I am to help you find your way there. I try to collect as much information as possible before we actually meet so we can make the most of our "in-person" time. When we do meet, you can expect a basic review of informed consent, limits of confidentiality, and expectations. I like to answer any burning questions up front to help alleviate fears. Then we spend as much time as possible identifying specific challenges you're facing. I will do everything in my power to engage you in building rapport as well as tailor our dialog and help craft a treatment plan to meet your unique and specific strengths and needs. Your honesty and thoughtfulness make a big difference in the process.
Therapy is a time (and space) limited activity – a timely relationship where it is my role to hold space, instill hope, shine a light, and act as a metaphorical mirror while clients explore their inner world, make meaning and sense of their story, and try on new ideas and ways of being. I am here to witness, relate, validate, and guide. I love challenges and problem solving. An area of strength for me is story telling and engaging others in sharing their stories to help them feel truly seen and heard. I enjoy combining clinical knowledge with wisdom gained from personal experience and the rapport and connection that results from fostering an honest and authentic relationship with my clients. Perhaps my greatest strength as a provider (and possibly my greatest weakness) is that I am transparent about my life and growth adventures when appropriate in order to model perspectives and skills that might be supportive. I strive to live my values out loud and practice what I preach. I genuinely delight in walking along side clients wherever they are on their personal journey for as long as they need me.
My current practice is focused on providing remote/virtual clients support navigating and managing a variety of general mental health issues. I also specialize in providing long term maintenance support for those impacted by issues related to neurodivergence, especially accurately assessing, diagnosing, and managing ADHD through out the lifespan. While I have experience working with individuals and groups of all ages in a variety of settings – including mental health agencies, school settings, and day treatment facilities—I have spent the most time working with teens and young adults providing in-person direct mental health care and behavioral counseling via individual, group, and family therapy sessions. I have deeply enjoyed moving to working only with adults at this time and growing in this area professionally as well as flexing my skills via remote work and the unique opportunities it offers for clients to access needed care. My clients are eager to improve, but don't yet have the tools needed to make this goal a reality. They often feel stuck, overwhelmed and anxious about their roles and identity. They may be struggling to put words to how they are feeling and often have deeply entrenched negative beliefs creating barriers to living whole hearted and authentic lives. I partner with anyone willing to do the longer harder work therapy asks of us in order to discover and enhance ones strengths as well as deepen their self-awareness and shift maladaptive patterns in their relationships to ultimate hopefully help cultivate a vibrant life with resilience and hope.
As a Board Certified Registered Art Therapist and Licensed Mental Health Counselor, I have draw from a variety of approaches. My therapy style and approach are eclectic and draw from several influences, especially Psychodynamic; Depth/Jungian; Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy; Person-Centered/Rogerian; Existential; Feminist; Integrative; Mind-Body Approach; Somatic; Trauma Informed Care; and Polyvagal Theory.
I hold a bachelor’s in studio art and a masters in art therapy AND counseling. I identify as an artist, therapist, and general creative person and deeply believe in the power of creativity and mindfulness to guide and heal. I have spent many years exploring art making techniques and methods for my own expression and self-care as well as supporting others in using art making to inform, guide, and cultivate their own healing. It is never a requirement that you make art in order to meet with me. We will explore creativity together and determine your comfort zone. If you’d like me to incorporate art making into your treatment, we can discuss that together and explore what that looks like in session.