My Professional Approach

I specialize in treating all three types of trauma:

1) Acute: Single incident (i.e. car accident)

2) Chronic: Repeated and Prolonged (i.e. domestic abuse, war)

3) Complex: Varied, multiple, invasive, relational, often in childhood thus shaping personality and attachment styles (i.e. physical, emotional, and/or sexual abuse, neglect, multiple offenders, multiple situations)

I primarily utilize Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR), Deep Brain Reorienting (DBR), Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT), and Internal Family Systems (IFS). My approach to Counseling is highly collaborative. You are the expert on you, and I am the expert on mental health. Together, we will identify the problem, identify options, develop a plan for how to reach your desired outcomes, and monitor and tweak it until we get where you want to be.

People have different ideas about what counseling is and how long it should take. Some people want to focus on symptom relief in a few sessions while others want to dive deeper into the origins of their issue. Your personal preferences as well as the nature of the issue are taken into account when we develop your treatment plan.

Supplemental to counseling, I sometimes provide information via additional reference material such as books, magazine articles, movies, support groups, or activities. These can enhance and even speed up your counseling process, but are ultimately your choice to use or not. I have a warm and welcoming demeanor. Humor can be healing so, enjoying a good laugh is a welcomed part of the process. Lastly, you can rely on me to be direct in a manner that is sensitive and respectful.

Professional Experience

I have been licensed as a Clinical Mental Health Counselor for over 20 years and have worked in private practice, a medium custody prison, and for the US Marine Corps. My primary area of speciality is trauma and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) which often relates to grief/loss, depression, anxiety, and family dynamics. I have experience working with people who have endured accidents, natural disasters, medical errors or malpractice, and extensive experience treating combat veterans, sexual assault survivors, and child physical and sexual abuse survivors. My tele-health practice is focused on individual counseling for adults and sometimes includes family members, when appropriate.

I have 7 years experience overseeing the Marine Corps Installations Pacific (Japan, Korea, & Hawaii) Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Program. I trained and certified Sexual Assault Response Coordinators and Victim Advocates, and interacted with law enforcement, medical, and legal personnel regarding reports of sexual assault. I am well versed in victims’ rights, the legal process, and the healing process associated with sexual assault in the military and civilian sector.