My hope is that through counseling, you will find healing and no longer feel overwhelmed by whatever initially brought you to therapy. This will often include learning how to incorporate skills of healthy self-talk and grounding techniques to integrate healthy emotional balance. As your counselor, I will seek to enter into your world with tenderness and compassion, seeking to see things from your perspective rather than pushing my own ideas onto you. Whether you’re dealing with depression, abandonment, bipolar disorder, abuse, relationship issues, or other concerns, I would be honored to work with you.
My Goal as a Christian Counselor
My goal as your counselor is to provide a safe space for you to share openly and honestly about your mental and spiritual health. From there, I seek to build a relationship of trust that will allow me to speak honestly into your life. I believe my role as a therapist is to help you identify and process through whatever is causing your pain. My hope is that through our sessions together, you will find freedom and hope.
What I Offer in Christian Counseling
If my client is comfortable, I like to begin sessions in prayer. I then ask my client to share about what has been on their mind over the last week, or if they have something specific they were hoping to discuss. I like to ask clarifying questions and engage in discussion, if this feels like what my client most needs. I usually take a more reflective approach and allow my client to lead the session. If, however, my client prefers more direction, I am happy to lead by asking questions and offering prompts. I will sometimes suggest therapy exercises (i.e. empty chair, lifespan integration exercise) if I feel they may be helpful, but I never ask a client to participate in an exercise they feel uncomfortable with. Toward the end of a session, I like to ask my client what they feel they can take from this session into the week. Overall, I seek to express empathy and help clients process through the emotions of whatever experiences they feel are impacting their well-being.
My Approach to Christian Counseling
While I feel there are benefits to secular counseling, I believe that true healing and lasting change can only occur when we look to Christ for our hope. Christian counseling allows us to form beliefs about ourselves and our experiences that are grounded in truth. The only way to find healing is to know how loved we are by God and who we are in Him. Understanding sin, forgiveness, and the fact that God has not left us alone in this broken world is at the root of counseling. I seek to incorporate faith into sessions as much as a client desires, including studying Bible passages, praying together, and processing any and all spiritual questions.
Qualifications & Experience
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a BA in Humanities from Washington State University and an MA in Counseling from Crown College. I am also certified in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing).
My Call to Christian Counseling
Throughout my young life, I struggled with an extreme case of depersonalization and panic disorder. When I was 17, I met with a counselor who helped me understand what I was experiencing. Having words to explain what I was feeling as well as having someone help normalize my experiences gave me so much hope. While sitting in a college lecture several years later, I felt God calling me to pursue a career as a counselor. I had no doubts from that moment on that God was calling me to help share the kind of hope I had experienced from therapy with those in need of healing as well. I have always loved listening and creating a safe space for people to share their hearts, and I am blessed to get to do this as my profession.
More About Me/On a Personal Note
I am married to a wonderful man and we have one dog. I very much enjoy playing board games, disc golfing, running, and engaging in quality time with friends and family. My husband and I are members at a local church and feel grateful to be connected with close, Christian friends.
Areas of Expertise/Specialties
- Abandonment and Neglect
- ADHD
- Aging and Geriatric Issues
- Anger Management
- Anxiety
- Bipolar Disorder
- Chemical Dependency
- Coaching
- Counseling for Children
- Counseling for Teens
- Couples Counseling
- Codependency
- Depression
- EMDR
- Eating Disorders
- Family Counseling
- Grief and Loss
- Individual Counseling
- Infidelity and Affairs
- Marriage Counseling
- OCD
- Online Counseling
- Personal Development
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder
- Premarital Counseling
- Professional Development
- Relationship Issues
- Sex and Porn Addiction
- Sexual Abuse
- Spiritual Development
- Trauma
- Weight Loss
- Women’s Issues
Abandonment and Neglect
Humans were created to live together in peace, supporting and caring for one another. If you have experienced abandonment or neglect, you are probably in a great deal of pain. It can be easy to judge ourselves harshly when feeling this way. I want to remind you that God did not create us to inflict this kind of pain on one another. Your hurt is valid and real, and a normal response to being abandoned or neglected by someone who should have been there for you. As your counselor, I hope to lead you in allowing yourself to feel the pain from this loss while knowing it is not your fault. Together, I believe we can grieve the ways you were not loved as you should have been. And together, we can work toward helping you truly know your worth and how loved you are in Christ. While you are of course in pain from this neglect and abandonment, Jesus’s love is enough to heal your wounds and remind you of your immeasurable worth.
Bipolar Disorder
Struggling with Bipolar Disorder can feel exhausting and frightening. Many people dealing with bipolar feel out of control and hopeless. Please know you do not have to feel alone in this. As your therapist, I would help you incorporate balanced, healthy self-talk to encourage emotional regulation. I would also teach grounding techniques and coping skills to help you feel a greater sense of control when your emotions are heightened. While I am not able to prescribe medication, I am always willing to help monitor how you feel your body is responding to medication you have been prescribed by an appropriate provider. My goal as a therapist is to support you in your journey of achieving your healthiest life.
Depression
If you are dealing with depression, you are likely experiencing low self-esteem, low energy, little motivation, and an overwhelming feeling of sadness. It is important that you know being depressed is not something you are “doing wrong.” People become depressed for many reasons. As a therapist, I would work with you to determine what external factors may be contributing to these depressed feelings. You may have unprocessed grief, or you may be experiencing discontentment in your day-to-day life. Together we would examine what lifestyle changes may be beneficial to your mental health as well as exploring what deeper roots may be contributing to how you are feeling. Whatever the source of the depression you are struggling with, you are not alone. Your feelings are real and valid, but you do not have to continue feeling this way forever.
Premarital Counseling
Congratulations on your engagement! Preparing for marriage can be such an exciting time of life. I am so glad you are looking into premarital counseling as you start your life together. As your counselor, I would pose various questions and “assignments” for you and your partner. We would discuss each of your personal relationship histories, families of origin, perspectives on children, finances, and gender roles. Premarital counseling is a healthy way to discuss topics we might otherwise not think to ask our spouse about until it became an issue down the road. I am so thankful you are considering this form of counseling and pray God blesses you as you take these steps forward in your relationship.
Sexual Abuse
If you have experienced sexual abuse, please know my heart goes out to you. Sexual abuse can be confusing and leave the abused feeling a myriad of emotions. As your counselor, I believe it is my job to create space for you to honestly share about what you are experiencing. God never intended for His children to be harmed in this way, and there is no downplaying the significance of what happened to you. In counseling, we would work together to heal from the trauma of this abuse while helping you understand that your identity is not determined by what happened to you. I would, as your therapist, help you explore your emotional responses to the abuse while also teaching you how to incorporate coping skills and grounding techniques to help you remember the truth of who you are.
Sessions: I offer 53-minute sessions. Sessions can be held more than once per week, weekly, or every other week. Scheduling options are discussed in greater detail during your Risk-Free Initial Session.
Availability (by office location):
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- Everett– Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
- Online (WA Only) – Wednesday, Thursday and Friday
Fees: I offer a Risk-Free Initial Session for individuals, couples, and families looking to pursue counseling with me. Please note that there is a fee for the Risk-Free Initial Session as it is a clinical hour and reimbursable to most insurance companies, but if you choose not to reschedule and continue therapy after the initial session the entire fee for the session will be waived. For ongoing treatment the full fee per session is required at the time of service.
Insurance: As a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), some insurance companies will reimburse for a portion of my services (as an Out of Network Provider). Please consult with your insurance provider as to whether they specifically cover adolescents, individuals and couples.
Receipts/Statements: In the event you require a printed or digital receipt, I will provide receipts for personal use, insurance reimbursement, Flex Spending Accounts (FSA), and Health Savings Accounts (HSA).
Payment options: Cash, Check, or Credit Card (Visa, MasterCard, Discover, & American Express). A fee of up to 4% per transaction will be added for credit card payments.
