I came to the counseling profession through a combination of having experienced my own need for

I came to the counseling profession through a combination of having experienced my own need for therapy, seeing the transformational benefits it had on others, and having it confirmed in many ways as a calling. Prior to pursuing licensure as a counselor, I also served as a youth director in a church context and leader of a recovery program for teens for five years.  From this ever-evolving perspective, I came to deeply value the concept of “being with” people in whatever space they may be in when they come into therapy, which is heavily influenced by the counseling theories of Person-Centered and Family Systems approaches to treatment.  My hope is that people will feel heard, seen, and known in the context of a therapeutic relationship with me, as they learn to navigate the transitions and challenges of life.

 I have my bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Oklahoma State University as well as extensive post-graduate training in trauma, adoption, family systems, infant mental health, and play therapy.  I am a Licensed Professional Counselor-Supervisor, an Endorsed Infant Mental Health Specialist (IMH-E®, level III), a Registered Play Therapist, an EMDR trained therapist, a TBRI Practitioner, a Circle of Security Parent facilitator, a rostered Child-Parent Psychotherapy clinician, trained in S.I.P. (Somatic Integration & Processing I), Theraplay Level 1 trained, Attachment & Bio-behavioral Catch-up credentialed, Traumaplay foundational level trained, and I hold a certificate in Adoption Competency from C.A.S.E. (the Center for Adoption Support and Education).  My current professional goals are to sit for the Certified Perinatal Mental Health exam, become EMDR certified, and pursue advanced Theraplay training.  I am also excited to be able to develop and instruct play therapy courses through Connect and Restore Play Therapy Institute.

My areas of practice focus are with children ages 0-18 and their families but I also enjoy working with individuals and couples of all ages who have experienced hardships, trauma, and loss.  The past several years however, my focus has been on addressing the needs of young children and their families who have experienced trauma through pursuit of Infant Mental Health Endorsement, which includes ages/stages: prenatal through age 6.  I take great delight in and am honored to work with families in these spaces as I have specific personal and professional experience around the importance of the attachment relationship and how it impacts relationships throughout the lifespan.

Within our team at Connect and Restore I enjoy supporting the growth, education, staffing, case conceptualization, training, and supervisory needs of our Early Childhood team.  Our hope and aim of growing an Early Childhood team is to have and replicate staff, both at Connect and Restore and in the community, that understand the unique and complex needs, presentations and behaviors of our youngest clients.  In addition, we want to grow staff that understands how adverse experiences impacts developmental trajectory, for the purpose of joining with families in healing and understanding our role in guiding children & caregivers back to optimal development.

My husband and I reside locally with our four children, we are involved in our church, and enjoy being out in nature – particularly the mountains with the beach as a close second.  Our home is joyfully and comically, a house divided by the Cowboys and the Sooners.  Lastly, a note that highlights my greatest joy in life and one that shapes my passion for this work, is my role as a mother through both adoption and natural birth.  My heart is deeply connected to the needs of families who are built in a variety of ways.