About us

A mentor once asked me to come up with a metaphor for how I see myself as a therapist. After some reflection, I decided that the best way to describe my work with people is as a travel companion. As a companion, I have the opportunity to explore alongside, facilitate the discovery of new things, and, at the end, help to create a lovely and enriching experience.

I believe that we all have the resources within us to grow through the challenging and tough times. According to the Merriam Webster dictionary the definition of hope is: “to cherish a desire with anticipation”. My goal is through companionship, exploration, and building from the resources that folks already have, we can collaboratively cultivate hope in a desired future.

How I work: I primarily work from a narrative perspective. Sometimes, we get stuck in problem-saturated stories.  I see challenges from the perspective of a narrative.  As with prose, we tend to see our stories, ourselves, and others in story form with themes and plots.  I also see problems as separate from the person and believe that people have power over their narrative.  Therefore, the individual is not the problem but the relationship we have with these challenges is the problem.  For my clients, I help to uncover newfound strengths and resources through conversational and experiential interventions.

Supplementing my narrative work, I also use mindfulness, advocacy, and work with people to build new skills. 

I have experience in residential, community-based, and outpatient services. I have also led several workshops, retreats, and other educational events for children, youth, families, and couples. 

Ministry:
In addition to a master's degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, I also have a master's degree from Luther Seminary in Theology. I have served several roles in two congregations. I have a special interest in the intersection of faith and mental health, and the creation of programming within the church to help encourage growth. I have also seen the benefits of community for individuals, couples, and families. 

Outside of the office: I am a lover of travel and exploring new places. While traveling, I especially enjoy nature and am an avid hiker. I consider myself to be a lifelong learner and am always searching out new ways to gain information. I am always in the mood for a good podcast, documentary, or auto-biography! I am also an animal person . . . both a horse owner and dog owner.

Academic:

MA in Marriage and Family Therapy from St. Mary’s University of Minnesota

MA in Theology from Luther Seminary

Prepare/Enrich Certified

Certified in Psychological First Aide

Ongoing trainings in Narrative Therapy

Areas of specialty:

Individual therapy for adults and children

Family therapy

Parenting

Couples

Church/spirituality