What do I do at the Counseling Center?
As a postdoctoral resident, I work with folx in both individual and group therapy. Along with therapy, I supervise clinicians in training and take part in outreach events on campus.
My clinical interests and areas of passion include: queer (LGBTQIA2S+) identity formation and exploration, isolation and connection in minoritized community members, grief, trauma, and diverse relationship structures.
What is it like to work with me?
Practicing from a narrative, feminist, and existential approach, I hold that 1) each person is the expert on their own life and capable of creating meaning, 2) the stories told about who and how we are have the power to both deeply hurt and richly empower, 3) relationships and community are vital in change, and 4) integration of diversity in identity, culture, and experience is the crux to forging new, life-breathing potentials.
In other words, working with me looks like: exploring how the world around you has come to shape the way you see problems and relationships, questioning “norms” that no longer seem fitting or helpful, playing with creativity to imagine new paths toward healing, and pulling in strengths you’ve already got (but maybe can’t see!) to support you along the way. In every session, my top goals are to support you in this hard, but very worthwhile, work and honor the ways in which your unique identities color the experiences you bring into the room.
What do I do at JMU outside of the Counseling Center?
Outside of the Center, you may see me around campus partnering with other departments to provide workshops and psychoeducational events for students, faculty, and staff. Outside of JMU, I enjoy curling up with my pups and a good fiction novel, exploring the outdoors with my family, and crafting while chatting via FaceTime with long-distance pals.
