About Me

AUTHENTIC LIVING AND LOVING

"Authentic" - True, Real, Genuine.  Being true to ourselves while staying connected to others.  Changing our focus by looking at the world with fresh eyes.  That of being real with how we express ourselves.  Having an innocent curiosity about the world outside. Expressing our feelings.  Having healthy sexuality.  Desiring real food that gives nutrients to our bodies   Loving nature.  Choosing work that testifies to our gifts and talents.   Having long-lasting and satisfying relationships that exhibit warmth and understanding.   Speaking truth.

I invite you to take some time to leisurely navigate around and explore this website, designed to offer you information about different aspects of counseling.

My Philosophy
Specialty Treatment Areas
How I Approach Therapy
Therapy Approaches I Draw Upon                               
How I Approach Coaching
What Qualifies Me To Help You


Finding our true, authentic self is often a long and difficult journey.  I believe that we go through life just once and that we can choose to make it a life that contributes to everyone else around us which in the end will make us happy and complete.  I believe that we all have the ability to live well and to recover our emotional and physical health as the experiences of loss, fears, trauma and the stresses of life take their toll. Years of living in a chaotic family or just striving to meet our innate need to belong and fit in can leave us with a lack of healthy attachments and a sense that something is missing.

  • I focus on using a positive approach, meaning it is not necessary to eliminate weaknesses, but rather to acknowledge them as mere strategies we've acquired along the way that aren't working.   We can not always control circumstances, but our greatest power…the power to choose, is often overlooked.  We can replace ineffective strategies with different beliefs and attitudes, allowing us to make healthier choices.
  • I believe that many of us have a need to reframe our view of God from judgmental and critical or just distant and indifferent to a God who cares deeply for us. I have found that many people carry unconscious deep-seated beliefs that God is against them due to early childhood experiences with authority figures.  Discovering a God who is caring and loving and goes out of His way to guide and direct can prevent wrong turns and that empty feeling of having a wasted life.
  • I have come to believe in the power of the unconscious and in energy modalities, which help with both emotional and physical healing.  I also emphasize positive health psychology in the form of stress reduction, fitness, nutrition and a getting a good night's sleep. 
  • I believe that people can and do change.   I believe that the ability to acquire physical and emotional health and wholeness deserves a certain amount of support found in a professional helping relationship.
  • Marital and Premarital Counseling
  • Anxiety and Stress Management
  • Depression and Trauma Resolution
  • Health, Wellness and Weight Loss Coaching
  • Specific Issue Small Group Therapy

Counselors are relied upon for relief from pain and to give insight and guidance to help clients move in a new direction.   My goal is to listen for my client's preferences for the way they feel, think and act and then to offer tools in how to shift internal thought patterns and behaviors. 

What I have found to be true is that emotions are powerful motivators and that they determine our behavior.  Clients can learn what is behind their choices.  My goal is to utilize reliable, effective modalities to help process and unblock any emotions that are a source of being stuck in unhealthy patterns. 

People come to me wanting to change relationships and other external aspects of their lives, but what I eventually discover is that what they really want to change is themselves.  People are happiest when operating from a position of grace, which is having the freedom to learn from mistakes and grow into the authentic person they admire and respect.  Once they shut out the many troubling voices in their heads and gain insight into their coping strategies, they are free to enter into relationships with less expectation.  All of this translates into more resilience, acceptance of others and happier relationships that really last. 

It is an honor and a privilege to work as a therapist.   I work with wonderful and engaging people who find the courage to change from the inside out.   I am devoted to helping people find emotional healing, physical health, fulfilling relationships and the desire for spiritual growth and development.


COGNITIVE: Gain awareness into the many voices and thoughts you carry within you that impact your choices regarding how you live your life.

RELATIONAL:  Develop conflict resolution skills by learning how to say what is on your heart and other effective ways to communicate with the people in your life.

SPIRITUAL EXPLORATION:  Take the time to explore your beliefs about God.  Gain insight into how your deep-seated beliefs about God impact your decisions.  Spiritual growth and development seems to unfold in layers.  Find comfort and composure as you develop your faith.
   
EMDR:  (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) Replace unconscious beliefs that sabotage your life choices with a freer sense of self-acceptance and the inner peace that may have been lost due to traumatic events. http://emdr.com/

EFT:  (Emotional Freedom Technique)  Experience how unprocessed feelings are expressed in the body in the form of aches and pains and sometimes more serious health problems.  Addressing energy blockages can start the healing process. http://www.emofree.com/

GROUP COUNSELING:  Get education and support for a healthier lifestyle by joining a group of 4 or 5 like-minded people wanting to make the quality of their work or personal lives a higher priority.  


The common goal of coaching is to compel you to move into the "action stage", which may sometimes move too fast, going against the natural process of change. I observe our natural tendency toward gradual change (read about The Six Progressive Stages of Change).  Coaching is about asking good, thoughtful questions, designed to help you look at an issue from a completely different perspective. 

I am an experienced therapist who offers my expertise and engagement around many therapeutic issues, but I find myself operating more and more from a coaching paradigm. I see myself not so much as the expert who is there to pull my clients along, but as a partner who knows how to direct and guide, entering into the process with encouragement and the purpose of addressing not just one area that isn't working, but the whole of  life. 

I see people as integrated physical, emotional, mental, soulful and spiritual beings.   I attempt to touch souls while at the same time honoring mine as I do my work with people who I deeply honor and respect.  The atmosphere during sessions is often lighthearted and energetic while allowing space for introspection, grieving and moments of tears. 

I have training in two types of coaching:
4 GATEWAYS: This unique coaching approach uses three rounds of thoughtful questions, which address resistance to solving stubborn problems and, results in  createing the motivation and  desire to achieve a natural  balance in your life. http://www.4gatewayscoaching.org/
  • HEALTH COACHING:  The help of a coach to help you approach having a lighter, healthier lifestyle or to deal with a chronic illness is often overlooked.  Learn how to approach an illness with a new perspective that will actually help you get well.  Discover the use of energy modalities such as EFT to enhance your efforts.

I am a (LPC) Licensed Professional Counselor in the State of Colorado.  My credentials include a Bachelor's Degree from Purdue University and a Master's Degree from the Adler School of Professional Psychology, Chicago.  I am Certified in EMDR and in 4-Gateways Coaching.   I have received specialized training as a Health Coach and as an EFT I and II practitioner.  I am trained in Prepare/Enrich, (Pre-marital and Marriage) assessments and feedback information.   I am a New Life provider and group leader for New Life Intensives.  I am a member of AACC.  I have worked with children ages 8 and above, teens and adults for over 17 years, both individually and in group settings.