I am passionate about bridging the gap between the insights you have learned in therapy and creating systems that will help you apply it so you have no reason but to integrate the tools you learn from therapy into your day-to-day life. This may include making lists, finding the right apps, setting reminders, or providing worksheets and handouts for you. I will challenge you to reach your goals, see another perspective, work through the root issue, and hear what you need to hear in order to experience the growth you desire.
My Goal as a Christian Counselor
As a Christian Counselor, my goal is to provide a confidential, non-judgmental space for you to explore your mental and physical struggles. I hope you will feel heard and seen during our sessions and gain the courage to see how working on your mental and emotional health can transform your spiritual health. We can use prayer, Scripture, and doctrine combined with evidence-based therapeutic practices to help you heal and feel empowered to live the life you desire.
What I Offer in Christian Counseling
I come from an empathetic place and provide a calm, grounding presence. My approach to counseling considers your whole story. By looking at the biological, psychological, social, and spiritual aspects of your life, I will help you identify the root of your issues and walk alongside you to pursue transformational change. By assessing how your past impacts your present life, I will offer a treatment plan that could help you reach your goals. Together, we can determine how much you want to incorporate biblical teaching and prayer into our sessions for holistic emotional and spiritual growth.
My Approach to Christian Counseling
My approach to Christian counseling involves a combination of evidence-based clinical therapy with biblical doctrine, fostering your growth as a whole person: mind, body, and spirit. We may look at how your spiritual practices have an impact on your mental health and vice versa. Approaching every viewpoint allows for transformation through finding deeper meaning, seeing new perspectives, growing in hope and forgiveness, and discovering tools to overcome the challenges you face. I look at your entire self to provide you with the best care that meets your goals.
Qualifications & Experience
I am a Licensed Mental Health Counselor with a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Denver Seminary. I completed advanced trainings in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for individuals and couples, Ego State Therapy, Parts Work, Somatic Therapy through utilization of Yin Yoga and Tension and Trauma Release Exercises, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), and Gottman Method Therapy. I am experienced in helping adult individuals and couples from diverse cultures work through trauma, anxiety, relationship issues, conflict, communication, depression, burnout, and more.
My Call to Christian Counseling
As I look back at specific moments in my life, I believe God was preparing and shaping my heart and gifts toward Christian counseling from the beginning. In college, I had a clear call from God to pursue my interest in learning theology and clinical counseling at a seminary school so I can treat people holistically through the mind, body, soul, and spirit. I’ve always found beauty that is much larger than myself when seeking to make a difference in people’s lives, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to be part of that as a Christian counselor.
More About Me/On a Personal Note
I was born and raised in Washington, but moved around to many states, countries, and cities (Bellingham, Rwanda, Taiwan, Denver) before finding myself back in the PNW. I love to travel, get to know different cultures, and unplug from the busyness of life by enjoying the great outdoors. You can find me rock climbing, skiing, snowboarding, or doing yoga. But what I enjoy above all else is spending quality time with friends and family in community, whether that is doing something adventurous, watching sports (mostly Seattle teams – Seahawks, Mariners, gymnastics), or trying a new food, coffee, or boba shop.
Areas of Expertise/Specialties
- Abandonment and Neglect
- Anxiety
- Coaching
- Codependency
- Couples Counseling
- Depression
- EMDR
- Infidelity and Affairs
- Marriage Counseling
- Online counseling
- Personal Development
- Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder & Complex PTSD
- Professional Development
- Relationship Issues
- Religious Trauma
- Sexual Abuse
- Spiritual Development
- Trauma
- Women’s Issues
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) / Trauma / EMDR
On the surface, trauma may feel like anxiety or depression. Through my years of work, I have noticed that trauma tends to come from a root cause of your past, while anxiety typically involves your present or future. Trauma and PTSD can be treated in a variety of ways, but the most effective is through a combination of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), parts work, and somatic therapy focusing on healing through both sensory and cognitive processing, instead of traditional talk therapy.
EMDR is known to help people heal from trauma by processing distressing experiences and memories by recalling the event through bilateral stimulation. This lessens the emotional impact, helping you get past those stuck negative beliefs or feelings. Somatic therapy and EMDR helps you process through the sensations you are feeling within. These techniques include learning coping skills for regulation and holistic mind and body processing for integrative lasting effects. It is possible to find relief from your trauma and emotional distress, and I am here to support you through it.
Religious Trauma
Have you experienced “church hurt” from a church leader from interactions they have had with you? Were you taught (by your parents or someone from the church) scripture that was used to create fear, shame, or spiritual worthlessness? If this sounds like you and you are seeking to process the indoctrination, the process of leaving a church, or the loss of your identity or worldview, I am here for you.
As a Christian counselor, I am grateful for how Christianity has played a part in my life but I recognize how many people may have not had the same experience. I have a background in theology and have served with and attended a variety of churches. My goal is not to take you back to the hurt, but instead gain freedom from the pain that is still connected to you.
Whether you struggle with perfectionism, loss of community, difficulty with decision-making, self-esteem issues, shame, or boundary issues, I am here to help you work through these issues using a hybrid approach of top down (cognitive/intellect) and bottom up (sensory) processing for holistic mind and body healing. Some approaches may include Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT), Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), Parts Work, or Somatic Therapy.
Relationship Issues (Marriage Counseling, Couples Counseling, Divorce)
Love is an action word that requires you to commit and work at the problem areas of your relationship. Whether you are struggling to connect beyond living together or can’t stop arguing with one another, you can rebuild your relationship together. As a couples counselor, I use a mix of learning skills through the Gottman Method and resolving the root issue of what may be activating you to respond the way you are to your partner through Couples EMDR.
I have experience working with high-conflict couples, communication, dysfunctional relationship patterns, attachment, trust, boundaries, intimacy, anger, infidelity, getting out of an abusive relationship, working toward filing for divorce, and more.
Through a gentle but direct approach, I help you look at yourselves so you can deconstruct the ways your relationship is no longer working and reconstruct toward how you would like it to be. It may take some work, but this is an investment for yourselves and your family!
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):
- Bellevue – Monday and Wednesday
- Online (WA Only) – Monday and Wednesday
Fees: I offer a Risk-Free Initial Session for individuals and couples 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), most 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 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 may be added for credit card payments.
