Upon retirement from public education in 2010, I embraced the opportunity to open a faith-based Christian counseling practice. It is a humbling experience to develop a counseling relationship with many different people from varied backgrounds. My heart's desire is to provide support and hope for families dealing with relational issues, marital, parenting and life changing events. Counseling services are offered to adults, adolescents, and children focused on emotional, mental, physical and spiritual aspects. Clients are provided an opportunity for faith-based, christian perspective with biblical principals for hope & healing!

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor working with individuals, couples, and families in a private practice setting. As a counselor, I am passionate about people and my work as a therapist.

**NOT ACCEPTING NEW CLIENTS AT THIS TIME** I offer compassionate treatment to empower individuals, couples, and families to manage stress, make good decisions, and take control of their lives. While I welcome all clients, my background includes the fields of disability, especially deafness, and military stresses. Ten years as a military spouse have given me insight into the complexities involved in coping with deployments, loneliness, depression, anxiety, re-integration, and PTSD. My work with disabilities helps me understand the challenges faced by people struggling with environmental and interpersonal barriers.

There is always hope. Why we feel the way we do, how we seem to always get stuck or how we can't seem to navigate through challenging life events are questions that, with help, we can answer. When life presents these concerns, we're often left experiencing feelings and thoughts we can no longer manage on our own, and we may also feel disconnected from ourselves, others and our world. Working together, we can understand how your thoughts and past experiences influence the way you perceive and interact with the world around you, today.

It’s okay to not be ok. Asking for help is the bravest thing you can do. I am here to help! Are you feeling anxious or depressed? Maybe for you it’s anger, withdrawal or substance use. Maybe you are having relational issues or struggling to work through trauma. Maybe you are a parent really struggling to manage tough behaviors with your child. Whatever you are feeling and whatever you are going through, your feelings are valid and you are worth the effort. Sometimes our worries and problems feel so big and so dense, it’s hard to find our way through without a guide and a little extra support. I get it, life is hard!

Feeling lost, alone, or like your partner is no longer the person you first met? Take a deep breath and call me. In just moments we can have your first session scheduled and you’ll be taking a step towards healing. I have over three years of training in the mental health field and experience with a variety of clients presenting with anything from anxiety and depression to relationship conflict and infidelity. Together, we can help you rebuild.

Are you struggling to sleep at night because you cannot calm your racing brain? Has a past traumatic experience kept you from reaching your full potential? Sometimes life can surprise us and leave us feeling unworthy, anxious, or afraid. Shame is often broken once it is spoken and partnering with an individual to help you identify your negative beliefs can help bring a sense of relief and purpose.

The 3 major goals I help my clients work towards in therapy are healing, recovery, and change. I believe we are capable to heal, recover, and change, regardless of how deep we hurt. I'll walk with you on your individual journey, and help you develop positive coping skills to deal with life stressors. I'll coach you to replace negative thought patterns with positive thought process, so you can reclaim your peace emotionally and relationally. I also provide therapy for counselors - a safe place where therapists process their own feelings about relationships, marriage, parenting, school, finances, work, etc., so they can thrive.

My counseling approach accepts the whole person and their broad experience, taking this into account to help clients to see and understand their pain, strengths, root causes, and remedies in order to move toward a full sense of healing. I believe that this full sense of healing cannot be had without a strong and healthy sense of purpose, hope, identity, and worth. “Why is this happening?” and “What can I do about this?”are common questions that come with many struggles. This is often true when the struggle is individual, circumstantial, or involves relationships with others.

Feeling hopeless? Discover hope, identify purpose, and find freedom. You no longer have to hide in your pain. At Serenity Counseling, you will learn coping skills to help you better face present difficulties and disturbances from your past. As an EMDR trained Christian counselor I am dedicated to working with individuals, families, and couples experiencing any of the following: anxiety, ptsd, depression, stress, anger, mood disorders, relationship turmoil, life transitions, ineffective communication styles, and post traumatic reactions. Furthermore, I provide premarital therapy services.

My mission is to walk alongside individuals, couples, families, adults, and adolescents during any of the challenges life is throwing at them, not matter how big or small, while honoring foundational Christian truths of scripture. My goal for each person who walks through our doors is to experience the compassionate care available in an environment that promotes safety and healing. Together, we will work to increase personal insight and motivation to change those things that are harmful, whether it be in negative relationships, feelings of hopelessness, or addictive behaviors.

Successful children are happy and secure in developing age appropriate skills. These successful children get along with their family, friends, and at school. I like working with school age children to empower them to succeed in life. Some of the issues I work with include: anxiety, separation anxiety, depression, oppositional defiant disorder, anger management, low self-esteem, ADHD, coping with death, adjustments to divorce or a new baby, sibling rivalry, and school issues. My experience working with students comes from working with students every day in the school setting. Play is the language of children.

Tulsa Counseling Group offers compassionate care for a variety of issues. We have therapists who specialize in Infant Mental Health, Gottman Method marriage therapy, Drug and Alcohol recovery, art therapy, domestic violence, trauma, adoption, and court involved situations. We promise to be there for you every step of your journey. Our goal is to help you grow from your struggles, heal from your pain, and move forward to where you want to be in your life.

We all come from different backgrounds or walks of life, and often times, it is difficult to feel like you are being heard for who you are. My goal is to provide a safe, affirming and collaborative environment in order to accomplish meaningful change and progress in your life.

Making the choice to seek therapy, whether for you or your child, requires an enormous amount of courage. It shows a desire for change. Dena retired from a 23 year career in law enforcement to inspire hope and growth as a therapist so her clients may become mindful and make choices toward a more successful life. Dena wants to help individuals and families that have faced trauma, life challenges, emotional difficulties, and adversity by providing the highest level of therapeutic care while people reclaim, rebuild, and renew their lives. Due to the recent health crisis in our country, Dena is offering telehealth sessions.

“The past is a foreign country: They do things differently there.” Hopeless depression, alarming anxiety or mental disorder cloud the present and the future because of things that happened in the past. Restoring a confident, vigorous focus when mental health is in disrepair and collapse feels imminent, requires a new course that may seem impossible. The pleasures and certainty of existence seem lost. Like restoring old furniture, it takes a commitment to revising friendships and family, or perhaps a job, until deterioration is replaced with a narrative of renewal. Compulsive abuse of substances make things worse.

I believe that life is a process - and we are all IN process. I am passionate about helping you define and redefine yourself, supporting you through any life transition you may find yourself in. There are always options and often, they just need to be identified. I would consider it an honor to partner with you as you move into a new place of freedom.

Do you struggle during this crisis or other circumstances? My counseling specialty is working with individuals and couples who struggle with obstacles. Often, underlying fears and negativity drive unwanted behavior, and I would love to help you overcome and find peace and stability. I am a trained EMDR therapist, and see great results in treating multiple issues. I work with my clients to reinforce the strengths already within them. I often see individuals who struggle with spiritual issues, depression, trauma, grief or anxiety. I work to help clients discover and heal underlying issues while adding new resources to their lives.