I have been providing clinical mental health therapy for over five years. Throughout this time, I have had the opportunity of working with a wide variety of people from all ages and stages of life. I provide diagnostic assessments, treatment planning, case management and collaboration with the client, outside agencies, and other medical providers, if and when needed. Modalities I use mostly include TF-CBT, CBT, DBT, Brief Solution-Focused Therapy, and experiential therapies such as play, sand and art therapy. Through my work as a helper, I have developed specialized skills in emotion regulation, interpersonal communication, conflict resolution, behavioral management, anger management and suicide prevention and intervention. I enjoy helping others and look forward to helping you find the best possible course of action to the difficulties you face.
Prior to working as a clinical therapist, I worked as a school counselor for children in grades K-8. Through this role, I provided guidance lessons on empathy, impulse control, anger management, conflict resolution, and character education. I worked with general education students as well as those children within the RTI/MTSS, Tier 2 and 3. I also worked closely with special education staff in providing behavioral therapy and social work minutes to students with IEP's and 504 Accommodations Plans.
Outside of the therapy room, I am a wife of 25 years, a mother of four amazing young adults, and a grandma of two littles who call me "Nana." I enjoy traveling, hiking, camping, kayaking and anything outdoors. I love to go thrift shopping and am an avid adventure seeker. I enjoy singing, dancing, playing the piano, listening to all types of music, play board/card games, and spending time with family and friends.
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Trauma and abuse, Grief, Intimacy-related issues, Parenting issues, Anger management, Self esteem, Bipolar disorder, Compassion fatigue, Abandonment, Adoption and foster care, Aging and geriatric issues, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Avoidant personality, Blended family issues, Caregiver issues and stress, Codependency, Commitment issues, Communication problems, Control issues, Coping with natural or human-caused disaster, Dependent personality, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), Dissociation, Divorce and separation, Domestic violence, Drug and alcohol addiction, Eating and food-related issues, Emptiness, Family of origin issues, Family problems, First responder issues, Forgiveness, Gender dysphoria, Guilt and shame, Hoarding, Hospice and end-of-life counseling, Impulsivity, Infidelity, Intellectual disability, Isolation / loneliness, Jealousy, Life purpose, Midlife crisis, Veteran and Armed Forces Issues, Mood disorders, Narcissism, Panic disorder and panic attacks, Paranoia, Personality disorders, Phobias, Postpartum depression, Post-traumatic stress, Pregnancy and childbirth, Prejudice and discrimination, Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), Self-harm, Self-love, Sexual assault and abuse, Social anxiety and phobia, Somatization, Traumatic brain injury, Women's issues, Workplace issues, Young adult issues
Clinical approaches: Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Motivational Interviewing, Solution-Focused Therapy, Trauma-Focused Therapy, Internal Family Systems
IL LCPC 180015168