Who I Am
The age old question, who am I? I think we have all wrestled with how to define ourselves at one point or another, or perhaps we always are. "Who we are" is a phrase loaded with great complexity and is always changing as we change, learn and grow over time.
So a bit of who I am now at this moment in time. I am a Christian. Someone who cares deeply about helping other on their journey to discovering who they are. I love being creative and resourceful to find new ideas and solutions to problems and challenges. You can often find me doodling or doing something else art related. I also have been spending a lot of time recently researching and learning more about people's stories from the past, more specifically my family history. I find it interesting to think about the various challenges that others before me have faced to get me and others where we are today. Music has also been a large part of my life. I grew up in a family where something music related was often occurring or being participated in. There is also a bit of a geeky side to me as I love things such as The Lord of the Rings, Disney, The Chronicles of Narnia, and various others of this genre. If you ever want to have a conversation or do something sports related, there is also a good bet that I would like to participate in some capacity. There are some sports I am more knowledgeable about than others, but all of them are interesting in their own unique way.
ABOUT ME
What Does Counseling Look Like?
I have a wide variety of interests when it comes to the field of counseling, but I would say one of the areas I love the most about what I do is helping people grow and find hope when all else seems uncertain. While I am a counselor who is a Christian, I work with people from all races, ethnicities, religions, and backgrounds. I think it is very important to bring all those things that help make a person unique into counseling sessions. Those unique pieces about each person is important, and can be strengths to help towards reaching ones goals, and will be a highlight of the work we do together.
That being said, counseling is a partnership. You are an expert on yourself/your child, so it is important to collaborate and work together to find solutions to problems and issues that arise in sessions. I like to use an integrative approach that incorporates a variety of methods and intervention styles to best fit each individuals unique needs and personality.
Therapy with Children
When it comes to working with children, I think it is important to involve methods other than just talk therapy. One of a child's primary ways of processing their world is through avenues of play and creativity. Often times children also don't have the words to express how they are feeling and one of they ways we look to figure out and learn to express those feelings is through play, art, or another creative avenue.
Payment Options
Currently I am sub-contracting through Connections Counseling Services NW. This means that they are the ones taking care of the billing process and I provide counseling services under their umbrella.
Connections Counseling Services NW accepts most insurances including Medicaid.
Please see their website for more information, which can be found at:
Certifications and Licenses
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Masters in Clinical Counseling from Corban University (2017).
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LMHC (Licensed Mental Health Counselor)
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Certified Clinical Trauma Professional
Major Trainings
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Theraplay Level 1 Training.
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TraumaPlay-- working on certification in this modality.
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TF-CBT.
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NTI Adoption Training
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Certified Trauma Professional Training
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Several hours of Various Play Therapy Trainings while working towards becoming a Registered Play Therapist
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Working towards certification as an Autism Specialist
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Multiple Hours of Trainings in other areas as well such as CBT, DBT, Motivational Interviewing, and more.
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Licensure Supervisor Training (15hrs)