My passion in the mental health field is to encourage children and teens to become life-long advocates for their emotional, mental, and physical well-being. It is my hope that together, we will find useful strategies that can be built upon and continue to grow during both the ups and downs of adolescence and beyond. My clients often present with moderate to severe worries and anxiety around “typical” angst related to school, activities, and relationships. Sometimes the stress is sneaky and camouflaged to look like fatigue, irritability, and apathy. I find that many young people use coping skills that may not be the healthiest; however making the initial decision to seek out better solutions through counseling provides countless options for therapeutic approaches.
I like to structure sessions to include the parent(s) for the first and last couple of minutes as a check in and then recap. Otherwise, I often remind clients that even at a young age, they are the expert on themselves and we will explore and challenge what that looks like. Sessions will ultimately be solution focused with techniques used to solve problems while always keeping short and long term goals in mind.
I am a:
Life-Long Learner: I love to learn new things and look forward to learning about each client. When it feels like you might be spinning your wheels, nothing is working, and you can’t catch a break, I will remain unconditionally open minded and encourage you to find and learn from the lessons in each life experience. I believe “I don’t know” is a real and honest answer; however, you are more knowledgeable and skillful than you realize!
Encouraging Advocate: I think even the smallest victories are worth celebrating and will encourage you to recognize them as well along the way. I also look for the silver lining in every situation to remain hopeful for your future as well as uplift your ability to remain resilient in some of the toughest of times.
Education and Credentials:
Post Masters, Clinical Mental Health – John Carrol University
Masters of Education, School Counseling – Duquesne University
Bachelors of Science, Psychology and Neuroscience – Allegheny College
Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor – Ohio License #E.2001709