"The unexpected action of deep listening can create a space of transformation capable of shattering complacency and despair."
Terry Tempest Williams
WELCOME!
It takes courage to get to a place where you are ready to seek out help. It is possible for you to heal and develop healthy bonds, and I would be honored to support you in that process. Below is a little bit of information about me, my beliefs about therapy, and my experience, to help you get a better idea of who I am and how I work.
BELIEFS ABOUT THERAPY
Our stories matter. Through our experiences with people and places we develop stories that become our sanctuaries or our prisons. They become constructs in the landscape of our identities. We are wounded when we internalize narratives which are unhelpful, unsatisfying, or do not adequately encapsulate the multifaceted qualities of our lived experiences.
We need relationships to heal. Our connection with ourselves and others is essential for our survival. Often times we suffer when we have been confronted with a situation which is beyond the scope of our natural coping abilities, and do not have the deep relational connections to heal. Relationships are so necessary and yet can be so difficult to know what we need from them, or even how to cultivate them.
There are reasons that people act the way that they do. Sometimes it isn't always clear why we react to the things, but most individuals make conscious and unconscious choices based on a desire to protect themselves from harm, be accepted, feel recognized, and improve themselves. Emotions are guardians of these desires. Denial of them amplifies suffering, self-alienation, and addictive patterns. However, if we listen to them emotions can guide us towards deeper engagement with, and appreciation for, our experience and intuition.
Therapy can help people discover and live meaningful lives. A therapeutic relationship uses language and experimentation to generate awareness and new narratives that liberate individuals from despair, entrapment, and superficial living. Therapy attempts to find the sanctity in each unique life, and craft meaning and growth that allows the client to see the future with hope. By deconstructing sociocultural or sociopolitical narratives that rob a client of power and agency and bringing awareness to language and contexts that provide meaning, I help clients construct a dynamic understanding of themselves, their capabilities, and their relationship with their community and environment.
EDUCATION & LICENSURE
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Licensed Addiction Counselor
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Licensed Professional Counselor
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EMDR Trained Counselor
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Certified Partner Trauma Therapist
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National Acupuncture Detoxification Specialist
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MA in Counseling, Regis University
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MA in Literary Studies, University of Denver Emphasis: Poetics of Trauma, War Literature
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BA in English, Regis University
EXPERIENCE
Before going into private practice, I received my Master's Degree in Counseling from Regis University. I completed my internship at People House, and my practicum hours at the Gestalt Equine Institute of the Rockies. During my internship, I co-facilitated support groups with the Colorado Ovarian Cancer Alliance, and began accruing hours towards my Licensed Addiction Counselor credential which I recieved in 2019. I hold a second Master’s Degree in Literary Studies from the University of Denver (DU) where I specialized in war literature, and the poetics of trauma. In addition to my academic studies, I served in the United States Army Reserves from 2003-2010. I deployed under Operation Iraqi Freedom from 2005-2006, and I was honorably discharged with the rank of Sergeant. Outside of being a therapist and a veteran, I am also an avid reader and writer of poetry. Some of my favorite poets are Yusef Komunyakaa, Carolyn Forché, Galway Kinnell, and Ada Limón. I have been known to bring in poems for some of my clients and incorporate poetry into therapy. I am the author of one poetry collection entitled Becoming Ribbons which was published by Unicorn Press in 2022.
All that being said, I know what it is like to feel tired of struggling, and feel like the world is unsupportive and cruel. For me, the process of transitioning from military life into academia was difficult and included significant loss. My journey into therapy and becoming a therapist was a process of healing and discovering who I was when I was unapologetically myself. It was in the therapeutic space where I found that I could live the ethos of a fierce soldier and a poetic healer at the same time. I bring this protective and creative passion to the work I do with my clients. I promise that I will be my full honest self with you during our work together even if it may get awkward or uncomfortable. I will be direct and transparent about what I am noticing and where I see us heading because I ask that you do the same with me. If we choose to work together, I want you to know that I am in it with you, and I will work hard to help you become that person you always imagined yourself to be.
THEORETICAL ORIENTATION
I blend a Gestalt approach with elements of Narrative Therapy and Existential Psychotherapy. Because of my addiction counseling training, I also use Motivational Interviewing and trauma-informed care based on Structural Dissociation and Internal Family Systems. I focus heavily on language and narrative because of my literary background, and I will sometimes incorporate bibliotherapy and poetry therapy to explore more ambiguous parts of the therapeutic process.
PLEASE SEE MY SPECIALTIES PAGE FOR MORE INFORMATION
CONTACT ME
I do my best to return all communications within 24-48 hours. Because I am in session, I rarely answer my phone. If your preferred method of communication is by phone please leave a message and state whether it is okay to leave a message for you when I return your call, or book a 10 minute phone call through the online scheduling portal. The best way to reach me is by text, or email. If you are trying to get a hold of me to schedule a consultation, please book through the scheduling portal. If you are in an emergency situation, like you are actively suicidal or feel a threat to yourself or someone else, please call the police or the Colorado Crisis Line at 1-844-493-8255.
If you would like to cancel an appointment please contact me by phone 24 hours prior to your session to avoid being charged. You can also use the scheduling portal to make adjustments to future appointment times.
PHONE
720-295-0309
ONLINE SCHEDULE PORTAL