“I use different treatment modalities based on the unique needs of each client.”
What was your path to becoming a therapist?
My upbringing led me to become a good counselor. I grew up in a town of about 500 people. At a young age, I realized that there was no access to mental health services in the small community and I decided I wanted to become a counselor. I started my counseling career at a community mental health agency. At that community agency, I provided therapy services for those suffering from substance use and underserved populations. I ran an IOP group, a mood group, and individual counseling services, becoming the "go-to" for clients with trauma. Later, I left community mental health and started a private practice: Freedom to Heal Counseling. My specialty is trauma and I am trained in EMDR. I provide individual counseling services for general mental health issues, including depression and anxiety. Two niche populations that I work with are women with mental health symptoms related to pregnancy and athletes. I provide both in-person services and telehealth services.
What should someone know about working with you?
I use different treatment modalities based on the unique needs of each client. I incorporate humor and authenticity into our sessions and utilize empathy and validation while focusing on building a therapeutic relationship between the client and myself to strengthen the treatment process. Together, we will process the symptoms you're experiencing. I offer a free 15-minute consultation and if you decide to work with me, we will do an intake session and then start our individual sessions. I provide the option to meet weekly or every other week.
What do you do to continue learning and building competencies as a provider?
I will never be done learning. I find it hard to say that "my specialty is trauma" because there is so much that we don't know about the brain and the mind-body connection. I plan to continue to engage in training relative to trauma and will likely pursue more advanced training in EMDR. I am soon to be trained in advanced treatment for perinatal mental health issues. Things change, new treatments begin, and more research is released, so it is absolutely necessary to keep up with the changes as a mental health counselor.
What are you most excited about within the evolving mental health landscape?
I think telehealth has made it so we can remove barriers to accessing care. I provide in-person and telehealth services and I find it amazing that I am able to provide access to someone a hundred miles from me who otherwise wouldn't have access to a therapist. I have clients who can’t drive who prefer to do telehealth or who have children they can't leave alone at home. Without telehealth, a lot of clients wouldn't have access to my mental health services.
What is your treatment specialization?
My treatment specialization is trauma and I am trained in eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR). Providing therapy through a trauma-informed lens, I do what I do because people only get one life, and I hope to give them the ability to live it how they want.
“I incorporate humor and authenticity into our sessions and utilize empathy and validation while focusing on building a therapeutic relationship between the client and myself to strengthen the treatment process.”