About Me
I help outsiders and highly-sensitive people live authentically without fear.
I grew up in a very small town in the South, and I knew early on that I was different. Throughout my upbringing, I felt a disconnect, and I learned that I needed to become a chameleon in order to fit in…someone who could adapt to what others wanted me to be. But in this process, I lost parts of myself, and I suffered because I was not listening to my true wants and needs.
This experience taught me what it felt like to be an outsider and to feel like you have to change yourself to make others happy.
Throughout my life, I have learned (and had to relearn) how to embrace my uniqueness and my sensitivity as my greatest strengths. Even though these traits sometimes feel like burdens, they are actually the parts of myself that allow me to contribute to the world and to connect with others.
I became a therapist to help others stop diminishing themselves and fully own who they are and what they want. There is no one way that anyone is “supposed” to be. I find it such a privilege to help people free themselves from the shame, stigma, and anxiety that comes with being an outsider. When we are able to truly understand and embrace ourselves, we can build the lives that feel most authentic to us.
How I work with clients
I believe that each person is the expert of their own experiences and has their own unique strengths and abilities. My role as a therapist is to create a safe and nonjudgmental space to build on those strengths as well as to provide new tools and insight. Everyone has an inner voice that guides them, and I help remove the blocks so that you can listen to that voice more closely.
I am gentle, open, and curious. I will not tell you what to do, but I will challenge you to think differently and try new approaches. I will also help you explore your feelings and discover what you really want. That might feel uncomfortable at times, but our feelings can guide us if we allow ourselves to experience them.
I will fully see you for who you are, and I will honor that. This means that I have no agenda for who I think you should be and how I think you should live your life. I will not force you into a box, but I will encourage you to break out of the box that others (and even you) have put you in.
I work creatively and collaboratively. I believe that each of us defines our own reality and that life is best lived when we can create our own rules and expectations. I am also open-minded and sex-positive.
I acknowledge your inherent capabilities and your inherent worth. I work from the premise that we can always grow and know ourselves better and that we are happiest when we are more connected with ourselves and others.
Training & credentials
- 12 years of counseling experience.
- Master’s Degree in Clinical Social Work from the University of Chicago – Chicago, IL.
- Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology from Oglethorpe University – Atlanta, GA.
- Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Illinois (LCSW #149.015940) and Florida (#SW14038).
- Graduate of LGBT Training Consortium in collaboration with the Center on Halsted and Howard Brown Health Center.
- Graduate of Advanced AODA (Alcohol and Other Drug Addiction) Program of Study from the University of Chicago.
- Extensive training in mindfulness, CBT, DBT, and ACT.