Therapeutic Approach:
I really enjoy my clients and that is evident in the strength of my connection with each of them. I love helping people become the best version of themselves and watching as healing and freedom unfolds. I tend to be straight-forward in my therapeutic approach and am likely to crack a joke in session.
Nothing matters to me more than the therapeutic alliance. If you do not connect well with your therapist, you won’t feel the support you need to make the progress you deserve. For this reason, I value the client-therapist relationship more than the therapy model. We will work together to decide which approach is the best for you. But the therapy models I use in session are also chiefly important! Counseling primarily from a systemic perspective, I frequently draw on principles from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), eye movement desensitization and reprocessing therapy (EMDR), solution-focused brief therapy, and reconciliation focused counseling, while attending to the holistic growth of my clients: emotional, spiritual, mental and social development.
Expertise:
I see individuals, couples and families and assist them on the path of health and healing. I am experienced in working with adolescents (16 and up) and adults of all ages. I work with clients dealing with relational distress and communication problems, codependency, anxiety, depression, sexual issues, affair recovery, dissatisfaction with singleness, adult survivors of childhood trauma, PTSD, spiritual development, stress management and other issues.
I do not work with the following clientele and presenting issues: children under the age of 16, clients struggling with substance abuse issues who are not in other programs (such as AA, NA, CR or other outpatient support services) or eating disorders as the primary cause for treatment.
Qualifications:
I hold a Masters of Art in Marriage and Family Counseling from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. I also graduated with a bachelor’s degree in Speech Communication from McKendree University in Illinois. I am licensed as a professional counselor in the state of Louisiana. I have worked in private practice since 2006.
Personal:
Above are the things I “need” to tell you, for the sake of my license and Google analytics. Here is what I actually want you to know about me:
I am on your side. I wouldn’t have made it nearly this far into my therapy career if I didn’t really love fighting alongside my clients for a better life. Not everything can be fixed. Not everything needs to be allowed to go on. Not everything needs to be held onto. I love sorting all of that out with my clients. There’s a lot of darkness but I love finding where the light shines through.
Some therapists bring big maternal love to their sessions. That’s awesome and has it’s place, but that’s not me. Clients choose me as a therapist because they want someone to shoot straight with them, to enjoy a true and authentic relationship, and because even in the depths of hardship, we can find hope together. Therapy is like cooking to me, in that I like to add some unexpected spice. In the midst of tears, I’m likely to throw a joke in, just for good balance.
I am originally from the St. Louis, Missouri area and moved to New Orleans for graduate school, 9 months before hurricane Katrina. Natural disasters seem to bring out the best in people and I couldn’t help but fall in love with Louisiana as we all chipped in to help each other heal and move forward. I met my husband soon after and we have one hilarious son and two unruly dogs. I spend my time learning, reading and writing, cooking, listening to and playing music, hosting friends and family for dinner parties, and cleaning up after the aforementioned unruly dogs. Oh, and my knowledge of reality tv shows is truly embarrassing.
