As a mother of six sons, I've gained practical wisdom about family life, relationships, and the need for self-compassion — especially for women and mothers balancing many roles.
Yet my guiding intention for my work as a therapist has been shaped by profound personal loss. In 2002, our fourth son, Benjamin, died unexpectedly and suddenly at a young age — a tragedy that brought heart-rending grief and post-traumatic stress.
My Path Through Grief
Over the next years, the intense and arduous process of grief as a bereaved parent led me to explore the meanings of loss through my own spiritual journeys.
What I didn't expect was how hard it would be to find help. I searched for a therapist who could truly understand the particular weight of child loss — someone who wouldn't rush me, minimize what I was carrying, or offer frameworks that simply didn't fit the reality of what I was living. Finding that support took far longer than it should have. In the gap between losing Benjamin and finding adequate therapeutic care, my symptoms deepened — what had already been traumatic grief became compounded by the effects of prolonged, undertreated PTSD.
Eventually I found the help I needed. But that long, painful search left a mark — and ultimately, spurred a calling.
My own path toward wholeness and hope has been one of exploring the deep connection between mind, body, and spirit.
My Path Toward Growth
Life took many turns for me. My need to understand the deep effects of traumatic grief on the body guided me first to somatic healing modalities — yoga and meditation became both a personal lifeline and a professional foundation. Throughout my 18 years of experience as an E-RYT 500 yoga and wellness professional, I developed a strong grounding in somatic and mindfulness-based practices that support emotional and physical well-being. My advanced training with Canmore Counseling's Trauma-Informed Yoga School in Alberta, Canada deepened my ability to integrate trauma-informed and compassionate approaches to yoga and mindfulness practices.
After raising our five sons and teaching yoga for years, I earned my Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Messiah University in Pennsylvania, a CACREP-accredited and spiritually-oriented program. I completed my education and training in the DC metro area, Colorado, and Texas, focusing on trauma, traumatic bereavement, and evidence-based treatments for PTSD and traumatic grief — including polyvagal theory, EMDR, CPT, TF-CBT, and compassion-focused Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT). As a Level 2-trained Gottman Method couples therapist, I have also helped many couples walk through pain and isolation toward renewed friendship and reconnection.
Through my work in diverse cultural communities, I have vital experience working with individuals and couples navigating grief, trauma, anxiety, depression, and relational conflict through a multicultural, inclusive, and trauma-informed lens..