I have been licensed as a counselor in Missouri since 2001. I received a Masters Degree in Educational and Counseling Psychology from the University of Missouri in 1997 and a Bachelors degree in Psychology from Knox College in Galesburg, Illinois in 1990.

Between my undergraduate and graduate programs I spent five years providing vocational counseling and job placement services to people with disabilities.

I have been in private practice since 2004. Before entering private practice, I was the clinical manager and assistant director of Phoenix Programs, Inc., a drug and alcohol treatment agency, where I worked in both residential and outpatient settings for seven years. It is through my work at Phoenix Programs that I became interested in addictions treatment.

I was further influenced in my work by Don and Nancy Howard. Don and Nancy’s innovative and compassionate Family Approach to Problem Drinking, and their many accomplishments in the counseling field, earned them recognition as leaders in family enrichment, education, and addictions treatment.

Over the years I have consulted with non-profits and state agencies on how to best provide treatment and counseling services, taught a graduate seminar on addictions treatment at the University of Missouri, and developed programs for professional and general audiences.

Recently, I provided outreach counseling at Rock Bridge High School as part of the School Board’s district wide efforts to address substance abuse in the schools. I have experience working with high school students, college students, and young adults struggling to transition to adulthood.

I practice insight-oriented interpersonal psychotherapy. I believe how we form relationships can facilitate or block our development and help us make sense of ourselves and our role in the world. Therefore, awareness of how we relate to others can lead to productive change away from self-defeating behaviors.

I have an integrated style of counseling that utilizes the best-practices from several schools of psychological thought. I believe strongly in working collaboratively with my clients to determine the tasks, process, and goals of counseling.