How I Got Here

 

Becoming a therapist wasn't my first career. I studied Political Science at the University of Nebraska, Lincoln, and that path led me into a classroom, teaching elementary school in Baltimore through Teach For America. I gave everything I could, until I couldn't anymore. I burned out completely and had to step back and reset. That taught me something I still carry into sessions: strategies that worked in one chapter don't always survive into the next, and that's not failure, it's information.
 

I completed my Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Antioch University, Seattle, in 2020, and have worked in community mental health and private practice since, drawing on mindfulness, CBT, narrative approaches, and my training as a registered play therapist.
 

Learning My Own Story

I was diagnosed with ADHD as an adult, and it reframed a lot of my own history. Suddenly things that had felt like personal failings made a lot more sense as a mismatch between how my brain works and what I'd been expecting of myself. With support, I learned my own process for responding to the demands of daily life and pushing for more. That's the same work I do with clients: not handing over a fixed answer, but helping you find what genuinely fits you.
 

What Parenthood Keeps Teaching Me
 

Parenthood has pushed me to communicate more with my partner, stay present with my daughter, and protect time for my own well-being. I don't say this because I've mastered it. I say it because I understand, firsthand, how disorienting it is to watch someone you love struggle, and how much effort it takes to keep showing up for others while also taking care of yourself.

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Beyond the Therapy Room
 

Outside of sessions, I'm usually outdoors, biking, hiking, or at the playground with my daughter. I'm perpetually growing my board game collection, a lifelong fan of all things sci-fi, and stay connected with friends through video games and fantasy baseball. I grew up a St. Louis Cardinals fan, and no matter where life has taken me, that part has never changed.