I’m a Chicago suburban transplant who is going on 10 years of living in Nashville already. I moved in 2015 to go to Lipscomb University for a degree in education. The truth is, I never really wanted to go into education, but I’m the first in my family to go to college. I didn’t have the support to pursue what I truly wanted - psychology. But when I received positive feedback and praise from others for doing such a hard job, I convinced myself that teaching was my calling, and my form of daily mission trip work. I didn’t have a healthy understanding of faith, and I was carrying unresolved complex trauma with me, so after only 3 years of public school teaching, I was burnt out, bitter, and overwhelmed with guilt and regret.

On top of struggling in a job that was burning me out, I was struggling to adjust to marriage, missed seeing my friends every day on campus, and turning to food and substance to cope with the stress and loneliness.

I wanted to go to counseling, but struggled to accept that counseling could be helpful because I “never went through anything traumatic.” My family never financially struggled, I always had food on the table, clothes on my back, and got to go college. So what could possibly be wrong? 

Boy was I wrong! Through both individual and couples counseling, I was able to start seeing and accepting how I actually had been through trauma and emotional neglect. My resistance to accepting this was contributing to my current suffering, because the denial was taking away the opportunity to truly heal. As I gained trust in my counselor, and felt really seen, I was able to start letting myself believe that I could live and feel differently. I found the confidence to go back to graduate school for what I always wanted to do, I learned how my defensiveness was contributing to marital conflict, and how my self criticism was never going to help me change. Through my own work, I have been able to show myself self compassion and earn secure attachment within my own self and in my marriage by learning that having needs of my own is not bad or selfish.

While working on my mental health, I was also able to create a healthier relationship with my faith. My faith no longer became a reason to stay in situations that drained me out of “serving”. I learned that God did design me to be anxious, spread thin, and unhappy. God gave me unique skills, resources, and gifts that I learned to embrace.

When I took my first psychology class as an elective in high school, I never wanted to stop learning about this field. With every new client I gain, and new life story I hear, I am provided a new opportunity to keep learning and growing. Every person is created with a divine purpose, and I believe that no client of mine ends up in my office by accident. Each person that I have the privilege of working with teaches me something new. I am motivated by each and every one of you to keep learning, and to keep working on my own self growth through my own counseling.

When I’m not at work, you can find me wandering up and down the aisles of HomeGoods, reorganizing some part of my home, or shopping a sale at Old Navy. At home, usually an episode of Real Housewives is playing in the background while I’m cooking a new recipe. I love to finish my day off by reading or journaling with a cup of tea. When I’m not home, I’m either catching a flight to O’Hare or Midway to visit my family or on a little weekend getaway with my beloved husband.

Thank you for taking the time to read more about me, and I hope you know how happy I am that you’re here. Now that I get to do the work I’m truly passionate about, I aim to never take a day for granted. It would be an honor to be part of your healing journey, and I hope you reach out to me today.

I’m also on Psychology Today. Check out my profile here.