Personal Statement
So many of us go through life living the “default option,” feeling stuck and unhappy. One day we wake up and realize that we never actually made conscious choices to get to where we are today. What if life could be different?
Poet Isra al-Thibeh wrote that “self-love is the first form of freedom.” Self-love is the foundation on which we can build a life we enjoy, on our own terms. Unfortunately, it is often stunted from the multitude of experiences we have by the time we reach adulthood. As such, many people find that who they are and who they want to be feel miles apart. We can work to close that gap together.
Sink into a leather couch with a cup of tea, surrounded by forest green tones and warm lighting. Intentionally designed, my office is a safe space where you can ask the hard questions, wrestle, and find closure and healing.
Who I Serve
I work with individuals ages 15+ and relationships of all kinds—friendships, romantic, family, and work. I help create experiences for people to encounter themselves and others in new ways.
I particularly focus on processing trauma (religious, medical, and relational), coping with chronic pain and gynecological pain disorders, navigating life transitions, anxiety, relationship health, codependency, assertiveness training, and female sexuality. Pulling from the wisdom of stoicism and optimistic existentialism, clients can expect an open atmosphere wherein frank discussion exists and nothing is taboo.
I view my role in your therapy as a guide. In the words of psychologist John Bowlby, “The psychotherapist’s job, like that of an orthopaedic surgeon, is to provide the conditions in which self-healing can best take place.”
Specialty Treatment Areas
- Anxiety / Depression
- Life transitions
- Trauma recovery
- Relationship issues
- Identity/Self-image
Additional Treatment Areas
- Female sexual pain disorders
- Female sexuality and intimacy issues
- Medical trauma
- Religious trauma
- Assertiveness training
- Female empowerment and professional development
- LGBTQ+ affirming
Theoretical Approach
Counseling is a partnership and there is no one-size-fits-all approach.
I mainly operate out of Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), facilitating deep emotional experiences, which studies show predict more positive outcomes in therapy. To complement this, I sample techniques from several different theories based on the client’s unique personality, needs, and goals. We may uncover unhelpful thought patterns through Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy or process things unresolved through Gestalt simulations. We may learn how to better connect with our bodies through mindfulness practices or go on a journey through a guided visualization to heal the inner child inside us—to name a few examples.
I firmly believe that “comfort is the enemy to progress,” and clients will be challenged at a pace with which they feel safe.
Insurance Networks
- Private pay
- Aetna
- BCBS PPO
- Cigna (Evernorth)
Education/Certifications
- Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Illinois
- Licensed Professional Counselor -IT in the State of Wisconsin
- MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, Concordia University
- Bachelors Degree, Olivet Nazarene University
Affiliations/Memberships
- American Counseling Association (ACA)