About Me

As a Licensed Professional Counselor, an empath, and a true Myers Briggs, INFJ type with a kind face and a heart of gold, I am a champion of the oppressed, downtrodden, or the underdog. I am deeply motivated by a committed desire to find solutions to people related issues. I also recognize that trauma, chronic pain and illness, anxiety, depression, or other mood and behavioral problems do not need to define you or your life. I understand how it feels to be lost in your identity when society, religion, family, or others have told you who to be, how to behave, and what to think. Life is hard sometimes, and bad things happen to all of us. It can be challenging to make sense of it all and navigate through the process of letting go and moving on. As a lifelong learner, I love to meet people who share my passions and interests while attending a workshop, seminar, or retreat. I have prayed, sung, played, danced, painted, and created my way through life and hardship. It is through these experiences that I am stronger, healthier, and more resilient than I have ever been. As a survivor that has overcome my own share of trauma, loss, depression, and anxiety, I am a supporter and strong advocate for mental health awareness and suicide prevention. I walked in the first Out of the Darkness walk for suicide prevention in Washington, DC in 2002 and support the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention. I’ve also helped quite a few people “off the ledge.” I have spent most of my life caring, mentoring, counseling, and educating others. I prize what makes each person unique and special, and how humans can overcome challenges with such great resolve and strength. I firmly hold that every life has worth, value, and purpose and that each person has the capacity to create. I view some of the most valuable moments of therapy are when “the light bulb turns on.” I love when these realizations allow you to put all the pieces together and utilize the insight and skills learned to cultivate practical and lasting change. This is when the truth becomes real and the heart begins to be restored. I believe that beauty comes from within, and that one of the most profound ways to center oneself is to be in the solitude and serenity of nature. I, too, know firsthand how the power and presence of animals does wonders for the soul and the mood. I also believe in the healing power of prayer, creative expression, the imagination, laughter and play as a fundamental process to mental health and overall wellbeing.