I started my career in 1999, working with adolescents involved with the juvenile justice system. I received my MSW from the University of South Dakota in 2012 and transitioned to Community Mental Health. I spent much of my time there as a DBT therapist and conducted skills groups for people with substance use and eating disorders. Current areas of focus include trauma, grief and loss, addiction, depression, anxiety, and issues related to aging. 

You are not what I expected.

This is one of my favorite things to hear from people I work with. It usually means that we have engaged and built a certain amount of rapport with one another. It tells me they had certain ideas about coming into therapy, or what working with me as a therapist might be like. My style is more down-to-earth and approachable, than it is stiff or sterile. It’s not uncommon for me to use a bit of humor here and there, and I can be blunt if I believe it is warranted. 

It can be challenging to know if a client and therapist will be a good fit. I strongly encourage people to sit down for an initial (free) consultation before engaging in services. If I'm not the right fit, I can provide some ideas of other professionals who may be. It’s important you find someone with whom you feel comfortable, in both communication style and professional skill sets. 

I love when a person comes in questioning how they ended up where they are. Maybe it has to do with stage-of-life changes, or maybe it’s a set of circumstances that snowballed and got overwhelming way too fast. Another favorite is the client who comes in saying “things have just been this way my whole life.” There is different work to be done here, and different goals to be achieved. Mostly, I love when my work provides a variety of clients, symptoms and challenges.

Co-occurring substance use and mental health issues are a particular passion of mine. I have worked on Treatment Court teams for the past nine years and welcome opportunities to join professional or personal support networks of all types.