I was born and raised in Ohio and moved to Minnesota after receiving my Masters in Social Work at The Ohio State University.  In Minnesota I met my partner, and moved to Northfield where we are raising our 2 children.  My work history includes over 20 years of working in the fields of public health and social work.  I have worked in schools, city government, hospitals and clinics, and treatment centers.  I taught social work at St. Olaf College, and provided clinical supervision for RAAN (Rural AIDS Action Network.)

You can expect a professional, confidential, and skilled practitioner when working with me.  I take things very seriously -  sometimes with humor - because life is intense without it.  I am compassionate and thoughtful, and I don't believe that a human being is "broken" - even though sometimes we can feel that way.  In the work that we do together, we might focus on understanding and regulating emotions, identifying strategies to interrupt unhelpful patterns, practicing acceptance, and learning to let go.  My goal is to start where you are at, and proceed at a pace that is comfortable for you. I frequently utilize the following skills and therapy modalities in the work that I do:  mindfulness, internal family systems therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, solution focused therapy, and dialectical behavioral therapy.

The following are areas of interest and skill:

Anxiety and Depression

LGBTQ+ population

Shame and vulnerability

Life transitions

Trauma

Grief and loss

Personality disorders

Parenting and relationship issues

Transgender/non-binary identity

Self injurious behaviors