I received my Master’s in Mental Health Counseling with a specialization in Art Therapy from Antioch University Seattle in 2002. I have been a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) by the state of Washington since 2006 and a Board Certified Art Therapist (ATR-BC) since 2007. I am certified in perinatal mental health by Postpartum International. In addition to having a private therapy practice, I also provide art therapy consultation for licensed professionals training to be Registered Art Therapists. I have been an Adjunct Faculty Member at Antioch University Seattle (AUS) in the graduate Art Therapy program at various times from 2009-2022. I actively engage in peer consultation, trainings, and personal reflection so as to provide evidence based, culturally responsive counseling with a social justice lens.
My career in counseling has included working in a variety of settings including inpatient services, hospital setting, outpatient community mental health, a wellness center, a large university, a residential drug and alcohol treatment facility for adolescents, an eating disorder clinic, and a day treatment setting for preschool-aged children. I am grateful for the range of experiences I have had working with people of all ages individually and in groups. My exposure in working with people of various ages and in different phases of life has given me insight into and appreciation for the human experience of change and evolution throughout our lifespan.
My first yoga teacher training was with Ana Forrest and Shari Friedrichsen in 1998 and I was certified by them in 1999. I pursued post-graduate yoga-based therapy through The Samarya Center in 2002-2003. I taught yoga classes and workshops for over 15 years and am a certified prenatal yoga instructor.
I believe in each person’s intrinsic capacity to learn, heal, grow, and thrive and am grateful to have spent 20 years accompanying people on their unique paths. I have an integrative approach to counseling that encompasses a respect for the relationship between our mind, body, spirit, and environment. I love learning about the brain and our physiology so that we can befriend our bodies and minds and live with greater ease, awareness, and freedom from suffering. An emerging area of interest is coping with climate anxiety.
I actively engage in peer consultation, trainings, and personal reflection so as to provide culturally responsive counseling with a social justice lens.
While yoga and seated meditation were my initial, on-going, and formal teachers in mindfulness, I am grateful for the many ways in which I am drawn to practice presence to the present moment and weave mindfulness into my daily life. In less formal ways mindfulness can look like pausing to take in the beauty of the way the light shines behind a cloud or feeling gratitude for a delicious meal. I am especially interested in Kristin Neff’s research on the power of self-compassion and practices that help nurture a kinder relationship to ourselves and others.
In addition to loving my work and being a life-long learner, I enjoy walks, runs, and wanders outside, a good stretch, making art, laughter with friends and family, listening to music, and reading.