Welcome!  I am happy to help you start to make positive life changes.  I work with individual adults of all ages.  Areas of focus fall into some broad but not exclusive categories.  Relational improvements and self-care, which might include self-esteem, addressing moods, anxiety, boundaries, family dysfunction, unhealthy patterns, insecure attachments, and/or past traumatic events that are affecting a current relational connection.  It may also be shoring up strength and support to exit a damaging or ineffective relationship that has been tough to let go of.  

A secondary area work be addressing various forms of anxiety, OCD and panic.  I use a combination of scripts, mindful awareness, exposure and response prevention.  I also work with those seeking spiritual or personal growth, along with life transitions such as moving, career change, loss of work or career, separation, divorce, and midlife challenges.  We can talk much more specifically through a phone consultation, which I highly recommend.  In general, I am an active listener who is present and compassionate.  Therapy techniques might include insight-focused talk therapy, relational therapy, CBT principles, exposure and response prevention, ACT principles, mindfulness practices and EMDR therapy.  I am very relational, so I put a high priority on someone feeling connected, and that we are a good match for the type of work they are interested in doing.

I am a master’s level LPC therapist who has been in practice for 15 + years.  Here are a few areas where I have specialized training: Exposure & response prevention and using scripts with anxiety, EMDR therapy, ACT (Acceptance & Commitment therapy), and mindfulness-based practices.  I will add here that mindfulness training changed my life, personally.  Increasing mindful awareness of body sensations and emotional states makes it much easier to understand emotional reactions, and make repairs and adjustments as needed.

Additionally, I facilitated a group called Common Ground for caregivers of a loved one with dementia, Parkinson’s or a related condition through Interfaith Care Partners during the time I lived in Houston.

Hobbies include cooking sort of healthy foods, time with friends and relatives, creative writing, music, reading memoirs and mystery books, practicing solitude and jogging which now looks much more like walking.  I love furry animals, cats and dogs of the cuddly variety. 

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 like the warmer weather, and the absence of crazy snow storms at least most of the time.  I would love to live near the beach as I consider nature one of the most healing experiences you can have.  I have been a Christian since my late 20s so 20+ years now.  I am happy to talk about faith, or include that in the therapy path if someone would like that included.  

Feel free to reach out with questions or to set up a consultation.  I look forward to hearing from you, and seeing how we can work together to help you reach your personal or relational goals.