I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist and graduated from Northern Illinois University with a Master's Degree in Applied Child and Family Studies with a Specialization in Marriage and Family Therapy. I have provided therapeutic services to the Rockford area for 10 years. I began my clinical work at Lutheran Social Services, helping children recover from traumatic events and promoted healthy reunification with families. I worked closely with children and parents to develop safe and positive family relationships. I have continued my work in the private practice setting, to promote healthy internal growth and positive life changes across the lifespan.
My passion is working with children and adolescents to help them cope with challenging life transitions. Children often struggle to understand and navigate big emotions. My goal is to help build resilience to encourage healthier relationships and promote healthier lifespan development. I utilize a variety of therapeutic techniques to help children gain more confidence, self awareness, and self worth. I also have experience working with various levels of trauma. I believe in providing a healthy and safe environment to encourage internal growth.
I also enjoy working with adults across the lifespan, who may be feeling stuck, experiencing relationship problems, looking for a change, or don’t know where to turn for help. My safe and confidential space allows for internal exploration and growth. I want to help people discover their true self and shed the negative narratives that keep them stuck in old habits.
While I encourage change, growth, and push people out of their comfort zones, I will not ask a client to do something that I do not believe in or have not practiced myself. I maintain, that while I am educated in psychotherapy, I am also human and continue to work hard on my own skills to be the best me and therapist I can be.
In my spare time I enjoy traveling, spending time with my family and listening to music. A fun fact about me, during my undergraduate work, I was on the Jennies Bowling Team and we were national runner-ups, televised on ESPN.
Areas of Treatment
ADHD
PTSD- Trauma Related Issues
Depression/Mood Disorders
Bipolar Disorder
Anxiety
Relational Problems
Parenting Difficulties
Divorce
Co-Parenting
LGBTQ
Childhood Behavioral Issues
Grief/Loss
Treatment Methods
CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy)
DBT (Dialectic Behavioral Therapy)
Mindfulness/Experiential Therapy
Play Therapy
Art/Expressive Therapy
Psychodynamic Therapy
Trained AAIT (Acceptance and Integration Training)