“I see myself as a wound healer; I have learned that to heal people who are in pain, we must first heal, with love and care, any emotional wounds that might be covered by a layer of emotional bandages.”
What was your path to becoming a therapist?
When I was young, I admired the social worker who did so much to help my family through a rough time. From that point onward, social work and counseling were the only professions I ever considered. Throughout my career, I have developed programs and trained clinicians who care for individuals suffering from depression, anxiety, severe mental illness, traumas, chronic illness, socioeconomic struggles, and subsequent health disparities. My passion is seeing people get the help and support they need and go from distress to wellness. I see myself as a wound healer; I have learned that to heal people who are in pain, we must first heal, with love and care, any emotional wounds that might be covered by a layer of emotional bandages. The path of healing is a difficult journey and sometimes even painful, but I am there for my clients so they never have to walk alone.
What should someone know about working with you?
A successful therapeutic relationship is built upon two-way communication. I start off with a brief 15-minute conversation with any potential client to ensure that I can provide a positive therapeutic experience for them. We then schedule a one-hour intake session to determine treatment goals and the frequency of the following sessions. We work as a team in a journey of healing and attaining goals.
How do your core values shape your approach to therapy?
From my experience, I understand the challenges and struggles we all encounter in life. We may all suffer from different levels of psychological and emotional distress but in the end, we are more alike than we are different. We all want our voices to be heard, we all want to be loved, and we all want to be treated with respect and dignity.
What are you most excited about within the evolving mental health landscape?
I am very excited by the emergence of telehealth. Since I began providing counseling through telehealth, I have seen how much it has improved client access to high-quality health and counseling services, making them available to more and more people regardless of location and physical challenges. I am very proud to be one of the leaders in the development of telehealth services.
“The path of healing is a difficult journey and sometimes even painful, but I am there for my clients so they never have to walk alone.”