The Beginning
I’m pretty sure I was born to be a therapist.
The first time I felt the passion was in 2nd grade. My best friend in elementary school was in and out of child protective services growing up. I felt crushing pain each time she would disappear from my life without notice. I similarly experienced the hurt she suffered as a result of conflicting and confusing feelings between being fearful and joyful about returning home. Because my parents had boundaries, and I was a child, I never ‘really’ knew what was happening. However, I was perceptive enough to put together most of the pieces. This formative experience is when I first become passionate about the importance of family stability for children.
In 5th grade, we had to choose and write a report on the career of our choice. My first introduction to the field of Psychology was the result of this report. I had found the avenue for my passion, and it was decided.
The Journey
I got a Bachelors degree in Psychology from St. Mary of the Woods. Then a Master’s Degree in Counseling from Webster University. I started working for a non-profit that specialized in helping runaway and homeless youth doing therapy with adolescents in a transitional living and shelter facilities. It broke my heart. These families were often in so deep that neither the teen or parents had any room to believe that it could be better. Parents often identified that these problems existed from an early age.
Like most youthful, social justice fueled 23-year-olds, I held on to the belief that I could make it better and burned the candle from both ends. Then one day, I woke up and realized I was depressed, anxious, and in desperate need of a way out. I took what I learned during these formative years and went back for my doctorate degree from California School of Professional Psychology. I received a PsyD in Psychology with certificates in Perinatal/Infant Preschool Mental Health and Play Therapy. Through this work, I have reconnected with optimism, playfulness, and energy. I genuinely feel like I found home again in this work.
Another reason that I am so passionate about my practice is that I am also a mother of two amazing but extremely different children. My first child gave me the confidence I needed to believe that I was a great parent. My second keeps me grounded in reality. Don’t get me wrong, both my children are beautiful and amazing. They each come to the world as their own person with their own struggles. I’m a better therapist because of the lessons I learn getting to be their mom.
When I’m not working, I’m hanging out with my kids. You can often find us jumping on the trampoline in the backyard, gardening, and designing/sewing costumes. I feel passionate about the healing benefits of being outdoors, so we spend as much time as possible volunteering at a local horse barn, hiking, or gardening. My favorite family activity is sitting around our backyard fire pit on a summer evening after a full day of play.
Finding Home
My practice is unique because the combination of foundations I learned in school with different modalities to provide active, impactful, and meaningful interventions for my clients. I’ve been using play as a catalyst for change for as long as I have been a therapist. Now I’m expanding the way that we play in a session to bring in some of the latest science about the healing aspects of nature and animals. Here is a peek of something you could expect:
Eva and Ivy, my rabbit co-therapist, are experts in helping kids learn to find a calm and relaxed body and teach about trust-building. They shine best when working with highly anxious children.
Colby, my equine supervisor, is a master at helping people develop confidence, explore their interpersonal relationships, and build leadership and communication skills.
The plants that fill my office and open spaces surrounding it help provide a mirror into our own world. Each plant requires something different to thrive, just like each person. Sometimes we can feel as poky as a thistle or as fragile as an orchard. We all, plants and humans, start to wither when we don’t receive proper care.
Side Hussle
In addition to my private practice, I work with the University of Colorado’s Sleep and Development Lab. We doing research on how sleep impacts behavior and emotional regulation. It is a fantastic feeling when I can help parents improve the sleeping behaviors of their children. I’m looking forward to seeing the results!
Fun Fact:
I am always making up and singing silly songs. It is such a natural part of who I am that I often don’t realize that I am doing it. I’m told that it is rather embarrassing.
The boring but essential stats:
Education:
Masters in Counseling from Webster University
Doctorate in Psychology from California School of Professional Psychology
Certificate- Infant/Preschool Mental Health
Certifications and Training:
Infant Mental Health Endorsed- Level III (IMHE-III)
Registered Play Therapist Supervisor- RPT-S
Certified Educator of Infant Massage- CEIM
Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Level 1 and 2- (EMDR)
Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
Horticultural Therapy
Animal Assisted Therapy
Coming soon: Equine Assisted Psychotherapy