About Me

A little something about me.

I am a member of and follow the ethical guidelines provided by the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). My goal is to serve, seek social justice, recognize the dignity and worth of each person, honor the importance of human relationships, and be integral and competent in my service delivery.

As a client you have the right to choose a counselor who best meets your needs, be actively involved in any treatment planning, and be informed of confidentiality guidelines.

Background

I am a mother of two and have been married to my husband since 1980. I was born and raised in western New York State and received my bachelor’s degree from Lancaster Bible College in Lancaster, Pennsylvania. I had a dream of pursuing a career in counseling from that time but marriage and family postponed the dream. I worked part time for 22 years for my church as facility coordinator, while giving support to my husband and love and direction to my two beautiful girls. In 2007 I took advantage of a Social Work Masters cohort being offered by Eastern Washington University in the Tri-Cities and received my Masters in Social Work in December 2009.

I began my counseling with a practicum and internship at The Emmaus Center in Richland. In June of 2010 the chance to provide case management and crisis therapy to patients at the Detox/Mental Health Crisis Bed Center in Pasco was offered and accepted. While there I gained experience with the chronically mentally ill, those in mental health crisis and with those struggling with addictions. I also have extensive experience leading psycho-educational support groups for those with general life challenges as well as for survivors of childhood sexual abuse and in 2013 participated in a WSU research project as a group facilitator offering an intervention and support for seniors with mild cognitive impairment.

At the beginning of 2012 I decided to pursue training in Internal Family Systems Therapy, completing Level 1 in November of the same year and Level 2 in 2014. This innovative approach to therapy informs all my counseling as well as the way I live my own life. I have found it to be a deeply spiritual and life changing approach.

In June of 2012 I returned to the Emmaus Center as a staff therapist and in August of 2013 I decided to broaden my dream and started my own private practice, naming my business Freedom Counseling to reflect my goal of helping people find freedom from the things in life that hold them back.