For better or worse, I think of life as an adventure. It might be the existentialist's love of metaphors in me, but I think it all boils down to the Hero's Journey - some kind of travel to engage in a series of challenges that leads to a major challenge that you return from somehow changed. I don't think it needs to be epic-level. In fact, I think, when we're able to find the Journey in the everyday, we have the potential to lead richer lives just taking a trip to the grocery store. And, when we're able to learn and practice the skills to start seeing positive adventures and journeys in the everyday, we can start seeing some really positive impacts on our mental and physical health. Though, there's no doubt that it's hard. And the 24/7 news-cycle is not helping our nervous systems make it any easier.
I don't believe that therapy is a cure-all, I think it's a tool. Which is why I so strongly encourage the clients I work with to build strong social support networks. I work from an Existential lens, informed by Relational-Cultural Theory, and borrowing from Reality Therapy, mindfulness, Polyvagal Theory, Narrative Therapy, CBT, and DBT. It might not be something that everything on that list has in common, but what a good number of those things have in common is that the relationships we have with one another are crucial for feeling fulfilled and fully functional. (Which is not to say those relationships have to look any certain way.) That's part of why I believe that it's so crucial for therapy to be a team effort. I have knowledge about skills and strategies, and I might know how to draw some metaphorical maps for the journey, but only the client knows what route they want to take and what sights they want to see along the way.
Since completing my Master's Degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Roosevelt University, I have completed national certification as a Certified Clinical Mental Health Counselor with the National Board for Certified Counselors. I have also completed training as a Certified Youth Mental Health Specialist and a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional. I consider myself to have a growth mindset and to be a lifelong learner, and consistently work to keep learning skills and strategies that I can bring into my professional sphere, so that I can always show up for my clients as my best self.
I'm genuinely interested in learning my clients' stories and supporting them on their journeys. I'm particularly interested in working with clients around issues related to LGBQ identity, trans and gender non-conforming identity, ace/aro/gray-a/demi identity, religion and spirituality, non-traditional relationship structures, and life transitions.
