I began my adult working life as a reporter covering
environmental issues for a publication in the Washington, D.C. area. I soon realized that the part of my of my job that felt truly fulfilling was the part which involved interviewing sources and gaining insight into them as people. My frustration with my job occurred when the talking stopped, the writing began, and the most compelling information I’d gathered – typically involving the human aspect of the story – was invariably cut by my editors. It took awhile, but I figured out that I was in the wrong line of work.
I went back to graduate school and got a degree in counseling. A perfect fit. I love what I do now, I’m thrilled to work with clients to help them improve their own lives, and I’m endlessly fascinated by the varied experiences and perspectives my clients present to me. Most of all, I have a deep respect for their brave commitment to the therapeutic process.
In the more than 15 years I’ve worked in the counseling field, I’ve served as a clinician and trainer/educator in a wide variety of settings. My experience includes providing crisis management to the severely mentally ill, doing diagnostic interviews for an inpatient mental health hospital, counseling high school students, and training new counselors for a community behavioral health provider. Since 2001 I have worked as an outpatient counselor, seeing clients one-on-one, as well as in couples, family, and group sessions.
I grew up in the Arcadia area in Phoenix, spent a dozen years in the Midwest and East Coast, and now live Paradise Valley with my husband, who is a physician and the chief executive of a non-profit, multi-specialty healthcare company; a soon-to-be-teenaged son; and two very naughty cats.
