I believe in a straightforward, collaborative approach to counseling. I also believe in showing respect and compassion to those I work with. I’m a licensed independent social worker in the State of Ohio and Arizona. I graduated with my Masters of Social Work in 2015 from Arizona State University. I’ve worked in the helping field for 18 years. I appreciate working with people—not issues or problems—and think it’s worth making that distinction. I am more likely to focus on a person’s strengths and solutions than their diagnoses. That said, identifying the problem is an important step in counseling, and I have developed solid experience working with individuals who’ve been affected by trauma, addiction, grief, codependency, mood and anxiety issues, and folks who have served as armed forces, first responders and their families. Counseling is collaborative. You are the expert on your life, I help by providing education, insight, integration, and suggesting game plans. Healing doesn’t happen in a vacuum; this is why I am both an individual and group therapist as I believe in the growth and healing that happens working together. Those in the counseling world often want to know about clinical approaches and training. If you’re newer to counseling, this paragraph contains a lot of jargon about the type of therapies I use. We will decide treatment approaches together based on what works best for you. For those interested in my clinical modalities, I use a combination of these evidenced based approaches: person centered, somatic, strengths based, narrative, solution focused, action oriented, psychodrama, experiential, gestalt, internal family systems, post induction therapy (Meadows Model), mindfulness based stress reduction, holistic/integrative, cognitive behavioral therapy, grief recovery, motivational interviewing. Outside of work, I love being outdoors, road trips, spending time with friends, family, spiritual community and volunteer fire fighting.