In a nutshell, I experienced several traumatic events as a child and worked with a counselor for more than a year to resolve the resulting PTSD. Through that experience, I learned the value of compassionate mental health counseling. The desire to share those benefits with others is one of the factors that led me to choose Psychology as my major at Randolph College and Clinical Mental Health Counseling as my master’s program at Lynchburg College.

I work best with clients who are willing to face their problems head on and work to find solutions together. A good client, for me, is someone who can trust the process of counseling - just like cleaning out a closet, we have to deal with all of the “stuff” before we can put everything where it belongs.

I believe that every client is unique. Each has their own challenges, strengths, life experiences, values, beliefs, etc. As a result of these distinctive qualities, no two clients’ treatments will be -- or should be -- exactly the same. I like spending time getting to know my clients for who they are and collaboratively developing goals and treatment strategies based on each client’s individual characteristics and experiences.

The first time I meet with clients is for an intake interview, in which I will collect background information regarding mental health history, presenting issues, client strengths, and much more. The first real session after the intake will be spent developing a trusting relationship and developing a roadmap for future sessions.

I am a music junkie. Most of my nights consist of listening to vinyl records on my record player and playing with my dogs, Rooney and Meeko. I listen to anything from oldies like the Drifters to today’s stars like Ed Sheeran and Taylor Swift. I attend live music events as often as I can. I also enjoy physical activity and being outside in nature. I have a lifelong love for running which began with my first season of cross country my sophomore year of high school, enjoy going for bike rides to visit the monuments in Washington DC with my uncle, and occasionally go hiking with my fiance and dogs in the mountains of Central Virginia.