Professional Experience and Ongoing Growth

With 18 years of clinical experience and 50 years of life experience, I bring both clinical depth and lived perspective to my work. Over the years, I have continued to invest significant time, energy, and effort into ongoing training so I can keep growing and offer the strongest support possible to my clients. My work is also shaped by a deep commitment to helping individuals live a more conscious, authentically centered life guided by their own inner wisdom. I have invested personally in my own growth as well, and that inner work directly strengthens what I bring into the therapy room.

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What Shapes My Work Personally

Mental health has been important to me for as long as I can remember, and from an early age I knew I wanted to work in a field where I could support and help others. Through my own counseling, meditation, spiritual retreats, and personal development, I have learned to relate to my thoughts and emotions with greater understanding and compassion. That process has helped me build a kinder, more balanced relationship with myself and others. I share this because I believe transparency can create more freedom for others. Healing often begins when we feel less alone in what it means to be human.

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A Little About Me

Outside of my work as a therapist, I enjoy fitness, gardening, hiking, bowling, spending time in nature, and exploring science and philosophy. I am also drawn to writing, creative expression, photography and spirtual development. If I had a second career, it would probably be in deep decluttering/cleaning with a company doing interior decorating, and creating more beautiful, organized living spaces. And if math and physics had been gifts of mine, I think astronomy would have easily been a career path. :-)  My family and I enjoy RV camping and traveling. I have been married for 26 years, and we have three children, ages 24, 21, and 12. I currently live in the Chicagoland area.

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Spiritual Perspective

I enjoy exploring broad Eastern and Western philosophical and spiritual ideas, and I welcome spiritual exploration for those who are interested. I can incorporate transpersonal or spiritually oriented psychology in a way that supports deeper self-understanding, meaning, and connection beyond the individual self.

At the same time, I hold this area with care. I do not support spiritual bypassing, toxic positivity, or using spiritual ideas to avoid unresolved emotional pain. My work remains grounded in psychological insight, evidence-based practice, and respect for each person’s own beliefs and background. When I speak about spirituality, I am referring to personal meaning, inner connection, and a sense of something larger, rather than any one religious framework. I am open to and respectful of many different beliefs.  I also understand the impact of religious trauma, which can leave people carrying shame, fear, guilt, or a painful sense of unworthiness. 

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Inclusivity and the Larger Human Context

I offer a welcoming, non-judgmental safe space for members of the LGBTQ community.  I value openness to difference, neurodivergent awareness, and the many ways identity and lived experience shape emotional life.

I am also mindful of the broader realities that affect mental health, including family of origin, culture, society, race, sexual orientation, gender, and the injustices many people face in the world around them. Our well-being is never shaped in isolation, and I hold that wider context as part of the therapeutic process.