Welcome!  Now is a great time to make positive changes. Here are some thoughts about my background and approach. Some of my specialties are: working with couples and individual adults, building healthy relationships, setting boundaries, managing anxiety, OCD, exploring family dynamics and developing ways to cope. I also work with adult trauma, grief, challenging life seasons, separation and divorce, and mid life transitions.

With couples, I have moved towards relational coaching in many cases. What that looks like is determining the level of deep hurt, conflict and troubling communication patterns. Then, we talk about whether some individual meetings might be best, to help clear out layers of tangled feelings. The idea being that we want to practice effective communication, build understanding, have realistic expectations, and create emotional safety. We may need to address family of origin and other individual struggles, before we start to (re) create a meaningful connection with each other.

My worldview is Christian. I am empathic, so I lead with compassion. We choose goals and decide on a therapy path collaboratively. Session frequency is based on your preference and goals. Typically to make steady progress, meeting either once per week or every two weeks is standard. Often, once someone feels better about their progress, they may meet every 3-4 weeks to check in. I have had clients commit to meeting once per month, take it seriously and make good progress. This is tougher to do if your schedule is erratic, or your distress is high.

Meeting often helps us know each other better, which should lead to greater amounts of trust. Walking a difficult therapy path (traumatic events, for example) requires trust. We can talk about this, and see what works for your budget and schedule. Scheduling a consultation is highly encouraged; this will give you a personal feel for the interactions, and allow you to ask much more specific questions.

Therapy at this time is remote, which offers some nice advantages. You can curl up in your favorite blanket, hold your tabby cat or let your golden retriever warm your feet as we talk through a range of topics. Not to mention your favorite tea or coffee is available in your own comfy mug not a paper cup. I have had several clients enjoy walking in a nearby park or pacing their own living room as they speak. This will require some privacy, which may not always be possible.

A little more about me: I am part of Generation X, but have worked with almost all age groups, excluding children and teens under age 18. My intention is to give everyone space to share their story, for as many sessions as it takes. I would like for us both to feel confident that I understand where you are coming from, what has shaped you and where you would like to go from here.

My style is semi structured, with as much guidance and feedback as the client prefers at each stage. The more I know about you, the more effective the responses, recommendations and feedback will be. Please let me know if initial sharing and trust is extra difficult. We can adjust accordingly.

My hobbies include cooking, baking (sort of) healthy foods, volunteering, reading, relaxing, creative writing, music, local travel, practicing solitude and jogging which now looks more like walking.  I also love furry animals and have one high maintenance tuxedo kitty named Evangeline.

I grew up in southeast Kansas, moved to Texas as a young adult and have been here ever since, Dallas, Houston, Austin and Tyler. I would love to live near the beach (someday…) as I consider nature one of the most healing experiences you can have.  That said, nothing has been more instrumental in my own healing, growth and well being than knowing God. Faith in the God of the Bible, his nature, kindness and purposefulness gives me strength and hope each day.

Learning to manage anxiety, OCD tendencies, challenges with focus and overwhelm has been part of my own journey. That has included acceptance, techniques, support, community, self understanding and grace. I am also supportive of medicine. I cannot prescribe but am happy to talk further about it, and support you in whatever decisions might be needed.

Having a good, strong connection with your therapist is essential. It would be better for me to facilitate us both knowing whether or not this is a good “fit” than to talk you into a path that does not feel right to you. If you choose to reach out for a consultation, that will be how I approach the meeting.

Like any good relationship, it is important to consider compatibility and connection along side the more practical matters which in this case would be insurance, finances and scheduling. I am happy to answer questions via email if that is easier in those initial stages when you are not quite sure you are ready to nail down a time to chat. I look forward to hearing from you.