I am a licensed therapist in both Maine (LCPC) and Pennsylvania (LPC), and have been practicing in the counseling field for over twenty years. I was raised in a family focused on human services, as my mother was a therapist and my father was a special education teacher for emotionally challenged students. I began my own work in the field while still in high school, volunteering with child survivors of sexual abuse, moving on to complete Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in psychology.
I have worked with people of varying ages and of diverse backgrounds over the years and in a variety of settings. I have been an outpatient therapist and a residential clinician, a wilderness therapist and a marriage counselor. I have held therapy in offices, schools, family homes, and deep in the forests of northern Wisconsin.
Over the years I have come to believe in one thing above all others: no matter what the environment or the form of therapy, the individual strength and resilience of the human spirit is paramount. From this perspective, my role as a therapist must be to trust the individual as to the direction they need to travel, and to assist along the way by opening doors and exploring options rather than dictating any one path.
I draw on a number of clinical approaches in my therapy work; including Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Internal Family Systems, and Motivational Interviewing. I also have experience with psychodynamic approaches with specific clients. I believe the approach is best matched to the individual, rather than the individual to the approach. I therefore tailor my approach to the strengths and disposition with whom I am working, and remain flexible in this approach as the work progresses.
Growth and development are cornerstones of therapy, and I believe this is true too of the therapist. I remain excited to grow and learn, and continue my own education through trainings and regular engagement with literature. My best teachers, however, continue to be those I work with. Therapy is a partnership, and while I have much to offer in the therapeutic relationship, rarely do I conclude work with an individual quite the same as when we started together.
I look forward to walking with you on your journey for a little while, and will feel honored and wish you well when our ways eventually part. Most of all I hope the part of your journey we call therapy will be enlightening, strengthening, and yielding of the peace we all seek and deserve.
Additional areas of focus: Addictions, Relationship issues, Family conflicts, Parenting issues, Compassion fatigue, ADHD, Adoption and foster care, Attachment issues, Autism and Asperger Syndrome, Communication problems, Control issues, Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder (DMDD), Dissociation, Emptiness, Family problems, Forgiveness, Guilt and shame, Isolation / loneliness, Men's issues, Midlife crisis, Post-traumatic stress, Sexual assault and abuse, Social anxiety and phobia, Young adult issues
Clinical approaches: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Attachment-Based Therapy, Client-Centered Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness Therapy, Motivational Interviewing, Trauma-Focused Therapy
ME LCPC CC4468
PA LPC PC012350