I am a licensed professional counselor and expressive arts therapist. I have experience working in various settings, including community support groups, youth residential treatment, medical hospitals, schools, and inpatient psychiatric treatment. I earned my Bachelor’s in Art & Psychology from Alma College and my Master’s in Mental Health Counseling and Expressive Arts Therapy from Lesley University in Massachusetts.
I believe in the importance of exploring the full range of emotions not just through traditional talk therapy, but also through creative expression in writing, visual art, music, dance and play. As a practitioner, I focus on the importance of experience and self-expression, and walking with someone on their own personal journey.
Often, people find themselves defined by one label, experience or diagnosis, and I want to understand and to explore the whole person, beyond any one defining feature. I am passionate about helping people who see themselves as neurodivergent, or may have a diagnosis of autism, ADHD, Down Syndrome or other developmental disorder; as well as people with chronic illnesses and neurological conditions such as epilepsy or multiple sclerosis. I work with children 6 and up, adults, teen and adolescents.
I strive to be honest and gentle, while still always challenging my clients to dig a little deeper or see a new perspective, or strive to reach a goal. I believe in the ability of any person to change or grow, if they can believe in themselves. I love exploring the layers and complexity of life at any stage.
I believe in the importance of the arts (dance, music, play, visual art or writing), because not everything we experience can easily be translated into words. It is not about creating a masterpiece, just about offering another way to explore our experiences. Not all clients want to use arts based work, and that’s okay! I will meet you where you are.
One of the things that first drew me to Expressive Arts Therapy was the potential I saw for being able to work with people who have limited verbal ability. This started for me as a high school student volunteering in a classroom for kids with autism; where I first began to recognize that I am blessed to have the ability to communicate and express myself clearly with words, but not every person has that ability. But without that, how do we communicate?
Too often, frustrations (that many of us would just explain with words) become outbursts, tantrums, or things that are deemed, “bad behavior.” Just because a person doesn’t have the words to say I’m feeling sad, heartbroken, angry, bitter or frustrated, does not mean that they do not have those feelings. There are many barriers to communication, but there are many ways to communicate that we do not try often enough. I believe that expressive arts therapy can be particularly beneficial for people with autism, Downs Syndrome, and other neurodevelopmental disorders/other types of neurodivergence.
There are things in life that go beyond what we have words to describe or problems that feel bigger than what we can solve. Sometimes it is just 1000 tiny things that all add up and make us feel like we cannot go on. I want to be here for you in that space and on the other side of it.
Trauma Informed
LGBTQ Allied and Affirming
Health at Every Size Practitioner
