ABOUT ME
I grew up in Minnesota with a love for the outdoors, strong friendships, family, relaxation, and adventure. I moved to Washington state for college and my love for the wilderness. Intending to pursue a career in material science, I discovered during my senior year of college I was more interested in the inner workings of people rather than molecules and shifted my focus to developing a career in the helping profession.
Along the way I’ve also guided multi-day sea kayaking trips in British Columbia, canoe trips in the Boundary Waters in northern Minnesota, and dog-mushing tours in Bend, Oregon. I love spending time outside being active or simply sitting and taking in the beauty. Outside of my profession, spending time with family and friends brings me vitality.
I’ve spent my professional career specializing in the treatment of Eating Disorders and worked as a Therapist, Partial Hospitalization Program Administrator, and Program Director in Outpatient, Intensive Outpatient, and Partial Hospitalization Programs. While guiding wilderness trips and working for a non-profit after college, I focused on adolescent and young adult personal development and group facilitation. I have 15 years of experience helping adolescents and adults overcome personal challenges and mental illness in a variety of settings. Ongoing development of my own mindfulness practice and integration of my approach to therapy in my own life is an important part of my work as a therapist and in my personal life.
Clients tend to find me approachable, non-judgmental, direct, curious, patient, and compassionate. You are the expert in your life and I help you to ask the right questions and guide you to explore new ways of relating to your thoughts, emotions, and experiences. Therapy is not a quick fix and can be slow AND transformative. Many clients I work with have tried multiple therapists prior to starting to work with me and find my approach is more workable than they’ve experienced in previous tries. I won’t help make difficult feelings go away, that’s called avoidance and may work in the short-term, but is not workable in the long-term. I’m not in the business of quick fixes or life hacks. Change happens with “relentless incrementalism,” meaning developing awareness of patterns that get you stuck, and slowly making changes. Challenging emotions is part of being human, I will help you feel them more skillfully and with greater acceptance while moving towards aspects of your life that give you meaning.
In addition to my private practice, I am also a licensing, accreditation, and program development consultant to a variety of Behavioral Health Organizations specializing in the treatment of women’s mental health issues. I assist organizations in obtaining state licensure or third party accreditation through policy and procedure development and implementation and compliance surveys in an affordable, effective, and individualized approach.
EDUCATION
- M.A., Counseling Psychology, The Seattle School of Theology and Psychology
- B.A., Chemistry, University of Puget Sound (Cum Laude)
EXPERIENCE
- Private Practice Therapist
- Licensing and Accreditation Consultant
- Compliance Consultant, Eating Recovery Center
- Utilization Review Specialist, Eating Recovery Center
- Program Director, The Moore Center for Eating Disorders (Now Eating Recovery Center of Washington)
- Partial Hospitalization Program Administrator, The Moore Center for Eating Disorders
- Therapist, The Moore Center For Eating Disorders
MEMBERSHIPS
- International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals
- Association of Contextual Behavioral Science
- Suicide Prevention Coalition of Colorado
VOLUNTEER
- Eating Disorder Foundation Group Facilitator (2015-2017)
- Education Chair, Denver Metro iaedp (International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals) 2016-2019
- President, Denver Metro iaedp, (International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals), 2020-2021
LICENSURE
- Arizona Licensed Professional Counselor
- Colorado Licensed Professional Counselor
- Minnesota Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor
- Nebraska Independent Mental Health Practitioner and Professional Counselor
CERTIFICATION
Certified Eating Disorders Specialist, International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals