I began working in the field over 20 years ago. I see older adolescents-middle age adults who struggle with depression, anxiety, grief/loss, relationship problems, and phase-of-life concerns. I also occasionally offer group therapy, and enjoy supervising individuals in the process of becoming licensed psychologists.
I view my role as one in which I accompany my client on their journey of change. I consider it an honor to join them at this stop along their life’s path. And I view the work that we do as a realignment; my hope is to send them back on their way as happier, healthier versions of themselves. I like to set goals with my clients at the beginning of our work together, so we’re on the same page about what we want to accomplish. I remain active in therapy sessions, regularly offering reflections and feedback, and posing the challenging questions that will encourage my clients to grow and evolve. I ask my clients to consider what they can take away from each session and work on before the next. I find that when clients actively try or think about things differently between sessions, they reach their goals faster. And when my clients request coordination of treatment, I’m happy to collaborate with other providers who are working with them.
I am humanistic in my relationship with my clients, but I’m eclectic in the approaches I use in their treatment. I tailor my work to each client individually, choosing the therapeutic modality that the research proves most effective in addressing their specific concerns. Among others, the treatment approaches I most commonly use include cognitive-behavioral, mindfulness, developmental, family systems, narrative, and existential.
Before making the move to private practice, I worked primarily in college and university counseling centers across the Southeast, as well as in outpatient counseling centers and inpatient hospital settings. Although I now work with adolescents and adults across the lifespan, I do still consider the university population to be one of my specialties. I studied college student development extensively in both my master’s and doctoral programs, in addition to the seven years I worked exclusively with that population.
Education
- Vanderbilt University, BA, Psychology
- Vanderbilt University, MEd, Human Development Counseling
- The University of Memphis, PhD, Counseling Psychology
- Appalachian State University, Predoctoral Internship
- Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Postdoctoral Residency
