Since I could walk, I always had a stethescope around my neck or a themometer in my hand foretelling my lifelong career as a nurse. My life has taken me to some far corners of this world and I have worked in many different settings from serving in combat as a medic to nursing incarcerated males. The greatest lesson I have gained and continue to improve upon is that we as humans are not pieces, we are each of us unique and complicated entire beings. Psychiatry is a field that allowed me to practice with this philosophy and address people holistically.

This question made me think for some time because if you are here, I will work with you. I truly enjoy people and will always do my best to create a safe, comfortable environement for you.

Choosing to work on healing your mental health is a very brave step in your life and having a treatment provider allows for some accountability and support. However, I often tell my clients, I cannot go home with you in your pocket, meaning please be honest and accountable to yourself. This is a journey of healing for you to attain goals of mental wellness that have been defined by you. Being real, vulnerable and accountable to yourself can allow true change; don't compromise yourself, you are worth it!

We will have one hour in our first meeting and I will not pretend to know everything about you in that timeframe. We will cover some basic health questions and history, talk about what brought you in for support; hopefully starting to create some treatment goals together. This time allows us to get to know each other a little bit and start building a relationship. Every person is different and has their own unique needs, which I respect. That being said, medications are not always prescribed on the first visit if we feel we need more time together or I need to gather collaborative information. There will be no surprises, we are a team and will make decisions together, it is your body and your life. I always provide lots of education so be prepared as I feel it is very important for you to know the what and why when it comes to you.

I practice Cognitive Behavioral Thearpy (CBT) and Solution Focused Therapy (SFT) primarily within my medication managment appointments. Both styles are very flexible for the thirty minute timeframe and allow for some 'homework' to be assigned outside of our sessions. I am also experienced in other therapeutic modalities as listed. There is no one size fits all for therapy because each of is unique individuals. I begin thinking about therapeutic interventions on our first meeting as we build the treatment plan and are identifying your goals. Each session, we will review those goals and adjust the plan as needed and add in new skills or therapeutic approaches as needed.