Philosophy on Counseling

My schooling includes a Bachelor of Science degree in Human Services with a Minor in Business Administration as well as a Master of Arts in Counseling & Psychology in Education. My background includes experience with residential treatment facilities, in-home intensive family therapy, and working with adolescents and adults in a psychiatric hospital. In these various treatment settings I provided individual and group therapy for adolescents and adults struggling with depression, anxiety, suicidal ideation, self-harm behaviors, and trauma. 

Since starting my private practice in 2013, I’ve also focused on faith-based individual, couples, and marriage counseling as well as offering presentations covering various topics throughout the community. I also offer clinical supervision for counselors working toward licensure in the state of Colorado. 

The way I counsel people has grown and changed over the years. Initially, I worked in various treatment facilities and other locations where I used primarily Solution Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) and Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) while working with clients. These models are very action-oriented and interactive as clients process their goals with homework given each session to practice desired changes. This can be very effective for people who have decided they want to make a change and are ready to make strides toward achieving their goals. Since starting my private practice in 2013, I have provided therapy based on Caring for the Heart Christian Counseling model. Over time, I developed various tools to incorporate faith with CBT and SFBT strategies. For instance, CBT focuses on how thoughts and feelings affect behaviors. When adding the faith aspect into counseling, clients have been able to rely on God to show them which thoughts are truths, which are lies, how thoughts affect your actions based on your relationship with God, and how to deepen their faith through the healing process with God.

Intensives and "Marathon" Sessions

Most clients request weekly or bi-weekly sessions lasting roughly an hour. However, depending on your goals and circumstances, I have found intensive sessions- usually consisting of 3 hours a day for 5 consecutive days or up to 15 hours of counseling in two days- to be very helpful in making progress toward meeting goals. Intensive sessions allow clients to tell their story of hurt, shame, trauma, challenges, cycles, and growth in a condensed time format. This allows for moving forward a bit faster to meet goals for change as there is less interruption between sessions. I work with each client to decide what type of counseling best fits their need, and we decide on an individualized treatment plan to define and measure progress for their goals. Please note that intensive sessions are rarely covered fully by insurance providers.

Couples Counseling ​

I typically use two assessments when counseling couples. The Prepare and Enrich assessment is designed for married and engaged couples. It shows me how each person views marriage, their partner, as well as strength and growth areas in the relationship. The Taylor-Johnson Temperament Assessment (T-JTA) depicts nine dichotomous temperaments displayed in the relationship. This shows patterns and reactions in the relationship that are healthy and unhealthy. The data from each assessment allows me to have a broader look into relationships as well as pinpoint areas for growth.