Addiction has touched the lives of my own immediate and extended family. Therapy was an important part of my own healing process and through that experience I became interested in helping others. After my son was grown I felt the time was right for me to realize this dream, and I enrolled at the University of Nebraska at Kearney. I continued at, and graduated from, the University of Denver with a degree in counseling.
After I obtained my degree, I entered private practice in Grand Island, NE. Over the next 14 years, I fulfilled my passion for working with women to help them learn to empower themselves. I found working with addictions to be a consistent part of my clinical practice and six years ago I moved to Lincoln to work in a dual-diagnosis agency addressing addiction and mental health issues for women. I had found my two passions in one place! It was there that I found teaching and guidance on trauma informed care from Dr. Rebecca Beardsley. Trauma was a root issue in many of the women with whom I was working. Implementing trauma recovery into the therapeutic process for these women allowed for healing, growth and success. Due to this experience I have become certified as a Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP) through the International Association of Trauma Professionals (IATP).
A spiritual life has been an on-going part of my own personal growth. What I have discovered in my clinical practice that many people are also eager to include their spiritual experience as a part of their own therapeutic process. I have experience, at the client’s request, incorporating spirituality on a cultural and individual level to support personal change.
Today I’m excited to be in private practice at AdultSpan Counseling. Here, I continue to honor my professional passion helping those affected by trauma and addiction. I help people, particularly women, by incorporating their own spirituality. While I can treat addictions under my independent mental health professional license, I have continued to develop professionally by seeking education and supervision to become provisionally licensed as a drug and alcohol counselor. I also continue to work towards becoming an Expert Traumatologist through the IATP.
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