A little about me…
Background - Pronouns She/Her
I received my Master of Arts in Counseling in 1984 from The Catholic University of America in Washington, DC. My husband and I started our family very shortly thereafter. Though I excelled in the academic setting, I was left feeling like something very important was missing in my training and within myself that prevented me from believing I could truly be of help to potential clients.
Despite believing in the God I learned of as a cradle Catholic, I found myself in my practicum completely at a loss as to how to connect my faith with an effective path for growth, change and transformation in counseling those struggling with hopelessness, despair and great loss.
I had always heard that God provides abundantly of His goodness and freedom through belief in Him. What made sense logically seemed not to fit into my experience or with the folks with whom I talked. They believed, but could find little or no light in their lives. There was a missing piece not only for my clients, but also for me personally. It caused me to keep looking for how God actually brings hope and healing.
I had the opportunity to do just this while raising three young children under the age of 5. I made use of my degree in multiple volunteer opportunities through my church and community, partaking in continuing educational activities in the field, as well as teaching part time as an adjunct professor at our local college in Montgomery County, Maryland. Life was very challenging and it was during this time that I slowly was able to poignantly experience the presence of God sustaining me very personally in some of the most ordinary and remarkable of ways.
After moving to Pittsburgh in 1995, I joined a prayer group at my parish. It was in these weekly times of prayer, contemplation and sharing with a group of other women that I began to gradually awaken to what I could only describe as the overwhelming love of God. After that, I joined multiple and varied interdenominational group Scripture studies which allowed me to joyfully discover the link that had been missing for me all along - between the teachings of Jesus, empirically tested psychological principles and personal experience.
This is truly a passion of mine as I have seen that this path is real and discoverable through a variety of means. When we can get to the point to clearly see the path, we can trust that it leads to that growth, change and transformation that I didn’t believe (but wanted to!) was possible in my younger years.
Once I knew this to be true, I knew that I was ready and able to put my training to use.
I came to the Meier Clinics Foundation in 2001, where such a holistic approach is espoused.
I opened my private practice in 2020.
Though I am sharing a clearly Christian perspective, it is not one which is mandated nor promoted in therapy.
Positive change is possible whether you identify as religious or not. That is what I needed to be sure of before I could enter the clinical setting. In 2006 I returned to the post-graduate academic setting via Waynesburg College’s Graduate Counseling Psychology Program to pursue the additional credits needed to fulfill the requirements for Pennsylvania’s licensing board.
After passing the State Exam and fulfilling the requirements for supervised clinical hours of counseling, I became a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in 2007.
I also worked as a Group Counselor on the Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit at our local hospital for a number of years. In this setting patients are admitted because they have tried to hurt themselves, someone else, or are unable to care for themselves. As you might expect, the intensity of pain and isolation that arrives in that unit is palpable.
Group sessions are part of the treatment program on the unit.
A professionally facilitated group can be a safe place where folks can begin to shed some of the aloneness and shame they may feel as they begin to experience acceptance from and reconnection to others. The groups are a powerfully healing experience. There is nothing short of a breath of life that emerges from a safe experience with others that reminds you of the value and worth you are endowed with, no matter what has happened to you.
This brings us to where we are now. Training, peer supervision and continuing education for me is consistent and ongoing throughout the calendar year as this field is constantly being updated.