Hello!

I have worked in health care since 1999; my passion lies in empowering people to acquire the necessary tools to make positive life changes. I operate with a warm heart, gentle presence and special ability to connect with the human spirit. My desire to connect with and help others led me to become a Licensed Massage Therapist, graduating from East-West College of Healing Arts in 1998 and to obtain a Master of Social Work degree from Eastern Washington University in 2006. I worked as a Licensed Massage Therapist for many years, and now solely practice as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, specializing in a neurobiological technique called Brainspotting.

The bulk of my social work career has been spent working as a hospice social worker/bereavement counselor. Working in the realm of death and dying has helped acquaint me with various forms of pain, hopelessness, darkness and love, learning that the most important gift we can give others is compassionate presence, bearing witness to one's experience with love and understanding, without "fixing" or "taking away" someone's pain. We all desire validation...I am comfortable with all the various human experiences, including grief, pain, love, joy and success. Sometimes we need to experience our pain (physical, emotional, or both), in order to fully experience love, joy and success.

I work with adults of all ages dealing with trauma, illness, grief and bereavement, and life transitions. I have extensive experience working with individuals recovering from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), child abuse, sexual abuse, spousal abuse and other traumatic experiences. I often integrate a variety of relaxation techniques into therapy sessions, including guided imagery, meditation, and other mindfulness/body-mind centered modalities. The main goal of my clinical practice is to establish a therapeutic relationship based on trust, caring, openness and practical support as clients navigate complex life challenges.

A little bit about me and Brainspotting….

Brainspotting assists people to work through emotional and physical pain/blocks, profoundly touching of all aspects of one’s life. This technique truly gets to the heart of emotional pain, allowing for profound acceptance and healing to occur. Several years ago, I experienced a series of complex losses, and found myself in an existential pain crisis…if you will. I sought therapy to work through my grief. This was my first run in with Brainspotting. My therapist offered Brainspotting, which assisted in my healing, in a way I never thought possible.  I felt seen, heard, comforted, and profoundly held by this therapist, within the frame of Brainspotting. As my therapist held this frame, and guided me through several Brainspotting sessions, healing took place on such a deep level. I was doing the work. My body and mind craved this neurobiological healing. Throughout my life, I have experienced various types of therapy, including talk therapy, acupuncture, Reiki, massage, and Hakomi, to name a few. Yet, I had never experienced such deep, complete healing, in just a few months of therapy.  This experience left me wanting more information. So, I began by taking Brainspotting Phase One, and several Brainspotting trainings, later, I have the great honor of helping others to experience life changing, profound healing.