About Me

I have been a licensed and board certified counselor in the State of Illinois since 2013, and a professional counselor educator since 2016. I obtained my Ph.D. in Counselor Education from The Pennsylvania State University, where I received advanced clinical and supervision training. I currently work as a full-time faculty member at Adler University, training master’s level clinical mental health counselors as well as counselor education doctoral students. I was honored to be the Illinois Counselor Educator of the Year in 2019.

I am experienced working with people in a range of different clinical settings, from university counseling centers to hospitals and school-based services for youth and families. I am able to work with a broad range of people and clinical issues. In recent years I have spent time cultivating my knowledge and abilities with grief, loss and bereavement counseling.

I specialize in affirming interpersonal work related to identity development. Understanding who you are, and how this is expressed and experienced may start with examining what important events and relationships have informed your sense of self. To that end, I am adept at helping people navigate anxiety and emotional woundings. I consider cultural competency to be imperative to the counseling relationship and I am attentive to cultural considerations.

specialities

Interpersonal Work

Within the interpersonal exists a complex network of relationships, including that with yourself. What patterns exist within these networks that create challenges in relating to others? To your self?

The main goal of interpersonal process therapy is to improve the quality of a person’s relationships and social functioning to help reduce distress.

Identity Development

Identity isn’t stagnant. Here we might explore deeply how your identities (be they cultural, gendered, social, sexual, spiritual) relate and interact. How does your identity help you feel connected? Isolated? Further, how do you interact with your social world? How does it treat you in return?

Grief and Loss

Loss comes in many shapes: a relationship culminating, a death, a departure, a change in your identity that disrupts a sense of self.

Unexpressed feelings
of self-condemnation, social isolation, and the loss of meaning are often unnecessary additional burdens to the inevitable losses in life. Exploring and expressing loss in its many forms can help.

Critical Incidents

Critical incidents include emotional wounds, events, situations, and adjustments that throw off our equilibrium. A critical life incident may make us feel disconnected from our culture, social circle, family–it may also make parts of you feel active and extremely sensitive.

When facilitated and processed, a critical incident can be an opportunity for growth and transformation.

It’s hard to be truly honest with a stranger. I try to approach counseling with sensitivity to this and attempt to create a safe, trusting, and approachable environment where we can really do the work.