I am a licensed professional counselor (LPC) working from an Existential-Humanistic framework. I have been in private practice as a mental health counselor for over fifteen years working mostly with adults with a wide range of emotional and mental health issues. I use a variety of tools to support their healing process, including art expression and EMDR.
I have found that having a sense of why we are here on this planet has a tremendous impact on our mental and emotional well being. In counseling, I help my clients discover what blocks them from a sense of meaning in their lives and find ways to live more fully. Some clients are discovering their purpose for the first time while others are discovering a new meaning after facing the loss of their life purpose.
I am, also, a certified Archetypal Pattern Analyst which helps me further identify life patterns which may be standing in the way of fully embracing life and living with authenticity.
I began my career as an early childhood educator, working with parents and young children, training preschool teachers and providing a lab site for Chemeketa Community College’s Early Childhood training program. Next, I taught parenting and personal growth classes at Chemeketa Community College. I worked in a program designed to help people overcome life difficulties and begin a career or find a new career after suffering the loss of their life’s work. Those years taught me much about what it takes to overcome injustice, poverty, abuse, mental illness, addictions and trauma to find meaning on the other side.
I serve on the board for Existential-Humanistic NorthWest, a professional organization which promotes existential-humanistic values including authenticity, integrity, responsibility, inclusion, and awe.