About Me

My Education

I have wanted to be a counselor since my first psychology class in high school. I earned my first Master of Arts degree in counseling from Sam Houston State University, where I focused my studies on play therapy and sand tray techniques. After a long stint as a stay-at-home mom to four lively boys, I was ready to use my counseling skills in a professional way. It was then that I discovered my education was out of date, so I pursued a Master of Education degree from Lamar University in clinical mental health counseling.

My Professional Experience

I have experience working with kids, teens, and adults. I help clients understand the purpose of anxiety (it's actually a good purpose that has gone haywire). We discuss the avoidance and self-judgement that fuel anxiety. I assist teen and adult clients through identifying how their lives may be out of balance or not in line with their values. This gives us a strong starting point about where to begin the work. 

I have experience working with a variety of clinical issues, such as: 

• ADHD

• anxiety & OCD

• acute trauma (assaults, vehicle accidents, natural disasters, etc.)

• chronic trauma (domestic abuse, religious trauma, abuse in childhood, etc.)

• depression

• grief

• negative self-image

• perfectionism

• PTSD & C-PTSD

• self-harming behaviors

• suicidal ideation

• women's issues

I use EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) when addressing situations your brain and body have encoded as trauma. I utilize skills from DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) and ACT (Acceptance Commitment Therapy) to help you evaluate your current behaviors and create new ways of interacting in the world. For ADHD, I teach executive functioning skills through play, talk, and practice. I offer ADHD parent coaching as well. 

You can read more about me in the Voyage Houston articles here or here.