I was born and raised in Salisbury, Maryland and reside in Wicomico County. I have been involved in the human services field for over 15 years. I began as a volunteer advocate with domestic violence victims. This cause led me to a career change, pursuing a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Social Science. I then completed a Master’s degree in Community Counseling, followed by a post-graduate certificate in Child and Family Counseling, then followed by another Master’s degree in Administration of Justice. I have also completed additional continuing education in Critical Incident Stress Management, Group Counseling Approaches and Motivational Interviewing. The field of counseling is currently changing, and I continue to research the best practice method in each area of concern for which I provide treatment.
While I remain actively involved with the causes of domestic violence and sexual assault by working with a local non-profit, several years ago I chose to expand into the private counseling arena. I operate a small practice, with expanded hours suitable for many working clients that would not normally have the flexibility to take off for an appointment. My goal is to provide affordable treatment and encourage clients to empower themselves through improvement of their own mental health.
My background is centered extensively in trauma therapy, but many issues that bring clients to counseling are not what they consider traumatic. I believe in meeting a client where they are at in their stage of change and working with them to create a treatment plan directed toward their personal goals. For this reason, no one therapy approach suits every client. I use cognitive-behavioral therapy, humanistic therapy and self-help methods such as bibliotherapy, journaling and logs to help clients see their progress. With children, play and art can be integrated into these methods in order to help a child verbalize their concerns when they may not have the words to express them.