I graduated with a mental health counseling master’s degree from Stetson University and completed a doctorate degree in counselor education and supervision from University of Central Florida.

I am a clinical mental health counselor, licensed in the states of Vermont and Florida, and I also hold certification through the National Board for Certified Counselors. This means that I have completed doctoral training and post-doctoral supervised clinical work, I have passed a state and national licensing examinations, and that I meet continuing education requirements. I am a member of the American Counseling Association and follow their ethical guidelines as well as the state and federal laws pertaining to the practice of mental health counseling. 

During my masters degree graduate internship my focus was on providing individual, couples, and family counseling surrounding issues of trauma. My focus during my Ph.D. program was the study of migrant women’s resilient traits within the broader context of mental health.

I have had the opportunity to continue my professional training and focused on various interventions and theories related to trauma such as EMDR, Emotionally Focus Therapy, and Contemplative therapies. 

My theoretical perspective is integrative heavily informed by humanistic, critical, family systems, and ecological theories situated in the praxis of social justice. Interventions utilized are resilience and strength based, rather than pathologically based, and some experiential in nature.

My counseling interests focus around mental health in the context of the matrices of cultural identity, ethnicity, race, gender, class, and sexuality issues. My publications include: “Gender Matters: Working with Men survivors of Trauma”; “Gay, Lesbian and Bisexual Issues in Counselor Education: The Potential of Service-Learning in the Development of Sensitive and Competent Mental Health Professionals”.