My approach to therapy centers on creating a safe and comfortable environment for my clients, because, let’s face it, therapy can be a scary thing at first. I find the therapeutic relationship to be the essential building block to healing and change.  In addition, I believe that clients are the experts on their own lives and so I greatly value their stories shared from the first-person perspective.  By listening to these accounts, I am best able to encounter those situations that are most challenging to the client.  Approaching therapy from this angle enhances the value of the process and can enrich clients’ lives in important ways.  Finally, I believe that one’s relationships (with family, friends, and co-workers) are the centerpieces of life as these relationships shape the ways in which we act and react in the world.  I strongly believe that including important others in one’s therapy can allow one to enhance and master the skills that are so important to healthy functioning. I provide essential tools to bring people closer together through more effective communication. Strongly rooted by these three fundamental therapeutic ideals, I passionately seek to improve the personal and interpersonal experiences of my clients.

I am trained in and have a passion for working with DBT (Dialectical Behavior Therapy) as well as Experiential Play Therapy. I work alongside each client to determine what strategies fit best for their journey.

I earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from The College of Saint Benedict and a Master’s degree in Marriage and family Therapy from Argosy University.

Training:

• BOLD – A Courage Building Training for Adolescents by Daring University – 2019
• The Daring Way™ Training – 2018
• Experiential Play Therapy by Byron Norton – July 2012
• DBT – DBT Associates

Education:

• ECSII Training, Hennepin County, Jennifer Dynes, PsyD, LP
• Part 1 of “Difficult and Defiant Adolescents – 70 High Impact Strategies & Techniques.” by Fred Hanna, Ph.D.