About

I Can Relate

If you have been struggling with anxiety, depression, grief, low self-esteem, relationship issues, or addictive behaviors, I can relate.

 

I’ve experienced all of these at some point. In fact, the trajectory of my personal and professional life has been a search for understanding these aspects of the human condition, and for finding inner peace and self-acceptance in the midst of them.

​

An Anxious Kid

As a child growing up in a Colorado mountain town, I was extremely shy and had lots of stomach issues due to anxiety.

 

My sisters always insisted I sit by the window on the way to a day of skiing because I would inevitably need to roll down the window and lose my breakfast as we rolled into the parking lot. 

 

My strategy as a child and teenager for dealing with anxiety was avoidance of situations that made me anxious.

 

My efforts to avoid feeling anxious, particularly in social situations, resulted in increasing depression and my life becoming more and more limited.

 

Looking for Answers

Searching for answers to these early struggles with anxiety and depression, I looked for support and guidance from psychotherapists and also became very involved with a spiritual group, living in a meditation retreat center for many years.

 

My career path turned toward the health field, first as a physical therapist assistant in a hospital setting, then as a counselor in a community mental health center, and eventually as a psychotherapist in private practice.

​

Integration

Integrating the physical, mental, and spiritual knowledge gained from these different chapters in my life helped me develop strategies for better maintaining an expanded, compassionate perspective of myself and others. I also learned skills for creating a healthier relationship with my mind and body, which I continue to practice every day.

 

Giving Back

Sometimes when I look back on my earlier years, I wish I could have supported myself then in the way I’ve learned to support myself now.

 

While I can only do that in my imagination, in my counseling practice I can do my best to make a difference in other people’s lives by supporting them in cultivating a more empowered and harmonious relationship with themselves, which changes everything for the better.

 

Please click here to read more about my counseling practice.

Or contact me to set up a free 20 minute consultation.

​