Education:
The University of Akron, Master of Art in Educational Guidance and Counseling, Marriage and Family Therapy/Counseling 2004; Purdue University, Bachelor of Art in Psychology 2001

Professional Experience:
My career as a licensed professional counselor has always focused on children and families. I have served a variety of populations and discovered a particular passion for family preservation, foster care and adoption that later lead me to early childhood and infant mental health. When families come to me with concerns about a child’s behavior and well-being, my priority is to partner with all family members to understand the “why” and develop strategies that empower both the child and caregivers to achieve their goals. I strongly believe that children grow and thrive through healthy, secure relationships and enjoy working with clients of all ages and family structures, including single parents, same-sex parents, and kinship families. Areas in which I specialize are attachment, grief and loss, anxiety and trauma. My approach to therapy is to treat the family system with strength-based and trauma-informed interventions. I often incorporate play, psychoeducation, and strategies from Trust-based Relational Intervention.

Personal Blurb:
I was born and raised in NW Indiana but have also lived in Ohio, Pennsylvania, New Jersey and now Michigan. I’m a creative individual with a passion for Halloween. Over the past 10 years, I have built my own Halloween display that requires a big shed to store it all! I also love animals and gardening, but on cold Michigan nights, I’m happy to snack on popcorn and watch a movie.

Specializations: adoption and foster care issues, grief and loss, attachment and trauma