About

My Work as a Therapist

I am passionate about helping people improve their relationships! Relationship distress can be frightening, even heartbreaking, and impact day to day life. When partners try their best and cannot make it better, it can lead to hopelessness. I have watched Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy create positive change in my work with many couples, and I am so excited to continue this work. I welcome couples of all ages and stages, married or not married, with or without children/step-children, with a wide range of concerns, including infidelity and couples who think “there is no hope”. 

My ideal clients would be couples who feel stuck in repeated conflicts, are feeling distant and disconnected, and who are motivated to make changes in their relationship. I help my clients learn more about their emotions and about the patterns of disconnection that lead to distress. I am particularly skilled at helping couples who notice frequent arguments, a “closed off” partner, an “argumentative” or “critical” partner, or couples who are seeking more closeness and intimacy. Frequently partners in a relationship may say things like “I can’t please him/her/them” or “I’m always blamed for things”; another common narrative is “I can’t reach him/her/them” or “I can’t even tell if I matter sometimes to my partner”. These experiences of one’s partner can be painful, and new understandings are possible!

My Training and Experience

I completed my Master of Education (M.Ed.) and Education Specialist (Ed.S) degrees from the Counselor Education department at the University of Florida in 2000, and became a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in 2004. I have experiences working in community mental health, private psychiatric hospitals, private practice, and university counseling centers. I developed the foundation and true heart of my clinical approach, centered around empathy, genuineness, vulnerability, compassion and respect,  during the  years I spent volunteering and receiving professional supervision at the Alachua County Crisis Center. In 2018, I attended my first training in Emotionally Focused therapy and discovered a model of counseling that truly changed my life professionally and personally. I have been studying and practicing EFT ever since, and continue to appreciate its power to create lasting change in intimate relationships.

My Approach to Counseling

As a person and as a therapist, I hold deep respect and appreciation for a variety of lived experiences and/or identities, particularly identities that may be marginalized in our society. As a therapist, I work actively to provide an affirming and open space for clients to discuss their emotions safely and fully. I welcome LGBTQ+ identified individuals and provide LGBTQ+ affirming care. I also pay attention to racialized trauma that my clients experience, and work actively to provide trauma-informed counseling.  To the extent that it will help us build a productive and collaborative relationship centered on your growth, I will address the privileged and/or marginalized identities in our work together.

When I’m Not at Work

In my personal time, I enjoy spending time in nature, traveling, reading, listening to music and I adore my time with family and friends. Also, I love to laugh and be silly and find the lighter side of life when I can.