QUESTIONS?

No, counselors can only provide therapy services in the states they are licensed. However, I work with women as a coach nationwide (contact me to inquire).

Currently, I am licensed as a therapist in the following states

- California - Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor #19586

- Illinois - Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor #180009653

- Texas - Licensed Professional Counselor #83171

- Florida - Telehealth Licensed Mental Health Counselor #TPMC3045

Which means I am licensed to work with clients located in Calilfornia, Illinois, Texas, or Florida at the time of therapy.

Yes, I do! While most of my client base is women, I’m happy to work with men and teens.

Well, for starters, you’ll never feel like I’m unresponsive, cold or unapproachable. Instead, my intention is for you to feel accepted. I’ll be your partner on this journey and celebrate with you but also sit in sorrow with you when needed.

Challenged: I’ll gently nudge and challenge you to move out of your comfort zone.

Curious: I’ll really listen and also be curious with questions you might not be used to. You’ll learn to face the world this way too, and open your eyes to possibilities.

Respected: I’ll help you become an expert on your own stress response, teaching you to be present and grounded. You’re here to learn and heal and that will be my mission too!

Supported: I’ll be your unconditional supporter and be there for you as you figure out who you really are, why, and what you want to experience and feel moving forward.

Understood: You’ll feel understood by a therapist who has experienced, just like you, success and failure, and learned how to heal and move forward with purpose and self-compassion.

Before scheduling a therapy session, I offer a free consultation call with all potential clients. This gives us the chance to get to know each other.

I’ll ask you about why you’re seeking therapy. I’ll tell you a bit about myself and my approach as a therapist. I’ll be able to answer questions you have about the process.

If we both decide we're a good fit after our complimentary call, we'll schedule our first therapy appointment.

I'll send you a couple of quick forms to complete before our first session. I'll also send you a link for our video calls that you can use every week, or my address details if you will be attending therapy in person.

After that, we’ll meet for your intensive or first weekly session, and get moving on your healing!

You’ll start learning techniques for coping and calming yourself from the first session. Everyone is different, but you may find a few sessions helpful, while others prefer to attend for a few months and consider long-term therapy part of their self-care plan.

I feel like the time may be coming when I just can’t cope with how I feel any more, but I am worried about starting therapy. Can you help me to understand why?

I understand, and I know there have been very good reasons you may have delayed getting help, like:

• The family you come from looks down on asking for help and everyone was taught to be tough and keep things to themselves.

• Maybe you feel that by going to therapy, you’re admitting you’re “crazy” or something very permanent is wrong with you.

• Your relationship with a partner is pretty bad right now and he/she won’t do couples therapy, so you’ve given up.

• You’re nervous about bringing up things from the past that might upset you now or you’re worried that if you open up that Pandora’s Box of emotions locked away inside, you may not be able to cope.

I also know that carrying around pain from the past is an unnecessary burden that limits your ability to live life the way you really want to, in midlife and beyond.

If you have chosen regular EMDR Therapy sessions, I meet the majority of my clients every week. If you would like to meet more or less often, let’s talk about that during our free consultation call.

If you have chosen an EMDR Intensive, we will schedule on a Friday or weekend typically.

I have a relaxed, warm, nonjudgmental, and relatable approach that will make getting started easier. During our first session or two, I'll ask you questions to get a better picture of your life journey. We will come up with goals together of what you hope to accomplish in therapy.

During therapy, you'll have an opportunity to vent, gain perspective and new insights, learn to challenge your thoughts, receive feedback, and develop and practice new coping skills.

Sometimes therapy can be tough work, and sometimes it is fun and full of laughter. Either way, I am here to support you and will help you achieve the change and growth you are looking for.

EMDR is a therapeutic technique that was developed by psychologist Francine Shapiro in the late 1980s. Shapiro discovered the technique while taking a walk and noticing that her own disturbing thoughts and emotions seemed to dissipate as she moved her eyes back and forth.

She began testing this observation with her patients and found that bilateral eye movements, combined with focused attention on distressing memories, led to significant reductions in their level of emotional distress.

Over time, Shapiro refined the technique and developed a comprehensive protocol for EMDR therapy, which has since become widely used in the successful treatment of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), other trauma-related conditions, and a wide variety of mental health concerns.

Faster results: EMDR has been shown to be effective in reducing symptoms of trauma in a shorter period of time than traditional talk therapy. This is because EMDR directly targets distressing memories, associated emotions, and adaptations to stress, while talk therapy may take longer to uncover and process these memories.

EMDR Treatment is different from talk therapy alone in several ways:

- Reduced distress: EMDR can help reduce the distress associated with traumatic memories without requiring the client to relive the traumatic event in detail. This is because the eye movements and other bilateral stimulation techniques used in EMDR help to desensitize the client to the traumatic memory, reducing the emotional intensity of the memory.

- Less reliance on verbal communication: EMDR can be helpful for clients who struggle to put their trauma experiences into words, as it relies less on verbal communication and more on the client's own internal processing.

- Addresses root causes: EMDR focuses on identifying and addressing the root causes of trauma, rather than just managing the symptoms. This can lead to more lasting results and a reduced risk of relapse.

EMDR is known for the use of bilateral stimulation (BLS) which is left-to-right tapping, eye movements, sounds, or other variations to stimulate the left and right sides of the brain while reprocessing memories or instilling new positive beliefs and body sensations.

Brainspotting involves fixing your gaze on one spot. You find this spot by looking at a pointer and with the help of the therapist or picking your own spot which produces more sensations in the body and access to material in the brain. Music is often used to assist in the process. Brainspotting has several variations and tends to be a bit more flexible in its approach. EMDR has more structure to it.

Both methods are based on the science of the brain and nervous system and you’ll develop similar skills in mindfulness, breathing techniques, and self-regulation that provide relief in the body.

Intensives are like the “fast pass” of therapy - skip the line and get premium services faster and complete months of therapy in just days!

Often, Midlife Women don’t have time in their fast-paced schedule to devote even one hour a week to therapy over several months. An intensive is the perfect format to efficiently and effectively repair and heal in just a few days.

In fact, I love to keep moving, and I don’t have the patience myself for a longer process. I completed my own EMDR Intensive recently and over the course of 6 hours, I was able to process years of stored-up doubts and uncomfortable memories. I came out of it feeling lighter and ready to plan new goals and live my dream life!

Yes.

Perhaps you’ve a felt sense that something profound has yet to change, but you’re not quite sure how to shift into a new experience of yourself with your current therapist. Or maybe you cognitively understand new things, yet your body is still confused.

Either way, you may still enjoy working with your current therapist, but they don’t do trauma work or EMDR therapy and you would like to add this in.

“Adjunct Therapy” is a supplemental type of therapy along with your traditional talk therapy sessions. If you decide to do EMDR Adjunct Therapy with me, I will coordinate your care and treatment with your regular therapist.

This is a personal choice based on your preference. Both methods are shown to be effective in processing negative feelings, strengthening positive resources, and obtaining relief and hope.

Brainspotting was discovered by Dr. David Grand during the use of EMDR with clients who had experienced severe trauma or even performance issues in activities like sports or work presentations. In both EMDR and brainspotting, we’re working to move you from a dysregulated state of stress in the body to a regulated one.

Imagine your body is like a car engine. Sometimes, the engine might run too fast, or it might go too slow. A "dysregulated" state is like an engine that’s not running smoothly—it might be due to stress, strong emotions, or other factors.

Our goal is to help your body (engine) run at just the right speed. We’ll aim to bring your body back to a "regulated" state, where everything is working harmoniously and you feel calm and balanced. Think of it like fine-tuning the engine so that it runs perfectly!

What’s exciting is that by working with me, you’ll have access to both approaches and be able to choose for yourself how you want to proceed. Client-centered therapy is all about you and what you need!

Here’s a full list of my Education & Certifications:

BA-Sociology (University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign)

MA-Professional Counseling (McKendree University)

MS-Strategic Intelligence (Defense Intelligence College)

EMDRIA Certified Therapist & Consultant

S.A.F.E. EMDR Trained (Somatic and Attachment Focused)

Brainspotting (BSP) Trained - Phases I and II

Somatic EMDR Practitioner through The EmbodyLab and Ergos Institute

Trained through Journey Clinical to provide Ketamine-Assisted Psychotherapy (KAP)

21 Year Air Force Lieutenant Colonel and Pilot, Retired