About Me

While I now work predominantly with individual therapy, my background in working with children, couples and families gives me a broad range of experience on which to draw when my clients come to me with concerns about parenting, couple relationship problems and extended family issues. I initially practiced in Community Mental Health agencies, where, in addition to doing therapy, I supervised Master’s Level interns and provided continuing education courses for clinical staff. In that setting, I also worked part time as a therapist in an emotional/behavior disorder classroom and was a visiting counselor at a home for pregnant teens. I have previously worked at the University of Washington as a Research Coordinator and Case Manager on a research project that evaluated the efficacy of support services for chemically dependent new mothers.

 

I have received continuing education throughout my career in an effort to keep up on the latest developments and techniques in my field. I provide professional consultation for other therapists seeking training, new ideas and support in working with their clients.

 

Personal

 

I grew up in Ohio and Indiana in a blended family, with parents, step-parents, full siblings, step-siblings and a half sibling. While I experienced the usual difficulties of children of divorced parents, I consider my blended family experience to be a great blessing in my life. I learned to be flexible and to adjust to different personalities and views of the world. And I learned about the many and varied shades of love and connection.

 

Since my early twenties, I've had an autoimmune disorder called alopecia which, fortunately, doesn't make me ill in any way but does cause my hair to come and go in various amounts. So you are quite likely see me in one of my collection of hats. I am a cancer survivor, cancer free since 2000, and I've had experiences with chronic pain related to a car accident. All of these health challenges have given me a particular compassion for those struggling with chronic and acute health conditions.

 

I have spent most of my adult life in our beautiful Pacific Northwest. I live with my wonderful husband and am the proud step-mother to an amazing step-daughter. I am an enthusiastic writer, reader, gardener, baker and follower of Mariners baseball. As a writer, and also as a dabbler over the years in a variety of art forms, I have a great love for and interest in the creative process.

 

I have been a client in therapy off and on over the years and consider this experience essential to being a grounded, understanding therapist. Being a therapist has been the great and constant love of my adult life, and I'm blessed beyond measure to have found a work of never ending interest and passion.