I found my way to the healing arts after traversing several winding, twisting, and dead-end paths before this one emerged. I completed a dual bachelors degree at The School of the Art Institute of Chicago in Fine Arts and Art History, Theory and Criticism. After graduating I began volunteering in Rape Crisis Centers as a volunteer medical advocate and crisis counselor while working in the service industry. After 8 years in Chicago, I moved back to southern California where I spent more time outdoors exploring nature, deepening my spiritual practice, teaching ceramics, making art, and working in drug and alcohol treatment centers in Los Angeles, Venice, and Malibu. During these years, I spent more and more time learning about the complexity of human relationships and witnessing our inherent need to feel connected to others. Still on a journey of sorts, I decided to solo-travel through Europe while participating in international artist residencies. That was where I made the decision to do the work to become a licensed psychotherapist.

From that point, I completed my graduate studies at Pacifica Graduate Institute in Santa Barbara, CA where I was trained in the traditions of Depth Psychotherapy; that is, psychoanalytic, psychodynamic, and Jungian psychotherapies. In my graduate studies, I worked and trained in an inpatient psychiatric hospital as an expressive arts therapist and also at outpatient dual diagnosis treatment programs as a therapist and integrative counselor. After graduation, I began work in county community mental health in addition to maintaining a small private practice. I have most recently been providing care to first responders, creatives, and people in custody.

Throughout my career, I have worked with many people on the worst days of their lives. I consider it an honor to walk with people through their fires and I have come to know first hand the strength of the human will to survive. My history working in crisis care has afforded me a unique perspective of the work of other helpers; this brought me to the work of working with first responder communities.

I came to the practice of psychotherapy from my own path of healing, recovery, & self-exploration and I continue this work through maintaining a spiritual practice, engaging in the creative arts, and connecting with the natural world. It is my goal to support the people I work with to establishing meaning, purposefulness, and a sense of ease in their lives.

I also dream of becoming a River Guide.