Hey There!

I come from a strengths-based, solution-focused, internal resilience perspective. I often use IFS-informed EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing),  TRM  (Trauma Resiliency Model),  DARe (Dynamic Attachment Repatterning experiences), and a wee bit of humor, when appropriate, as clients find new ways of thinking that get them nearer to who and how they want to be.  

I enjoy working with clients who experience high levels of anxiety, panic, anger, and fear that are often a result of trauma. I also work with clients wanting to shift relationship patterns, move through significant life changes, learn self-reliance and emotional resiliency, explore identity, and self-awareness. I was trained in EMDR in 2011, completed the final training of TRM in 2016, successfully using these modalities with the majority of my clients. Other semi-pertinent information is that I'm licensed in both North Carolina (LCMHC #7686) and Washington state (LMHC #60884991). Yes, I absolutely know my logo and email address don't match my current licensure. Aren't we all a work in progress? Also, my picture is definitely not current (circa 2015), but I look somewhat similar to that now. 

I've lived in North Carolina for most of my life, so I suppose previous accusations of my being overly statriotic is true. I completed my undergrad at UNC Chapel Hill in Anthropology and Folklore, where I learned that I enjoy creating metaphors, connecting with people about what makes them tick, and listening deeply in a curious and nonjudgmental way. I received my master’s degree in Community Counseling from Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, in 2007, and am officially a "Boonerang" in that I have returned to Boone after gallavanting around a bit to settle in because I love this area. (Except the ticks. Yikes.) Because I perpetually feel like I am ~25 years old, I seem to have fit right in having worked with students at both Western Carolina University and UNC Asheville in their respective counseling centers. I have been lucky enough to work with humans aged 18 to 81 on issues surrounding relationships, trauma, sexuality, identity, attachment patterns, family systems, existential questions, and sports performance.