When I was in Iraq, I saw firsthand how the younger soldiers were not coping well with grief and loss, anxiety, depression, and adjustment to having to participate in the war. There were a lot of suicides, dissociative behaviors, and fear based reactions to the circumstances surrounding their duties. Leadership would just send them into conflict without any direction or words of encouragement to help settle these kids. When I got home I started to see more effects, aftereffects, of what those stressful situations did to these soldiers and knew that i wanted to help them somehow. I finished my psychology degree while in Iraq and when I got home decided that becoming a clinical social worker was the best way I could start the process to help these kids learn the skills to recover and lead productive lives.

Veterans, Families, Couples, and Individuals

Therapy isn't easy in the beginning. It is difficult to put yourself out there, explain your story, and make it all go away. Therapy is a process of learning the skills needed to help diminish the symptoms over time. Time is what it takes to learn the new skills needed to be successful in the future on a consistent basis. There is no quick fix but with trust in the process and themselves, things will get better in the long run.

clients can expect honesty, openness, and empathy from me. I do my best to make the session warm and welcoming. I let the client work at their own pace and open up when they are ready. I know the process takes time so I do not rush their process.

I let the client tailor the sessions to their needs in the moment and then we work toward learning as we go. No pressure to solve problems right away but learn how to handle problems as they come up.