Medicaid Therapists in Kalamazoo, MI

I primarily work with children, adolescents, and families. Many of my clients have struggled with life transitions, symptoms of anxiety, depression symptoms, and social skills. Parents are invited to come to sessions to support skills inside and outside the counseling session. Collaborating with the family supports allows for skill acquisition and client empowerment.

Who are we kidding? Life is crazy and we all need someone in our corner! You are a unique person, and your challenges are too. I'm here to help you make sense of the craziness. I grew up frequently moving between my parents and family, and untimely ended up in the foster care system. With substance abuse in my family system, being a child and adult child of a dysfunctional family is something with which I am very familiar. I decided to pursue my education and help others instead of perpetuating the toxic family system.

Life is hard, and I’m here to help. As a therapist, I believe by making conscious choices we have the power to make purposeful change. If you're feeling anxious, sad, overwhelmed, or angry, I'm here for you. Sometimes we avoid our troubles, but they always seem to catch up one way or another. I want to walk alongside you through this season of life and guide you to the best version of yourself.

My compassion for all beings began long ago and has been the cornerstone of my personal and professional life. It is the compelling reason I practice counseling. I am profoundly aware of the vast amounts of suffering we all experience throughout our lives. Experiencing and releasing this pain is the goal. I believe in the emergence of self knowledge, positive energy and right action as fear and resistance are diminished. I prefer not to label conditions and symptoms ,but strive to fully understand and appreciate the individual sitting before me.

My focus is treating teens through older adults who are struggling with depression, anxiety, or serious mental illnesses. I enjoy walking with those facing life transitions such as moving from teen to young adult, going from college to the professional world, becoming a new parent, or entering retirement. There are so many difficult thoughts and emotions that come with these times in our lives, and I am here to help sort things out and help you feel positive about the choices you decide to make. In addition to an MSW, I hold an MDiv which equips me to incorporate spirituality into treatment if a client requests this.

I believe that most people come to counseling after many attempts to solve their problem other ways, but have found that those efforts have not led to an outcome that fits, or has been able to last over time. Counseling provides an opportunity to explore aspects of one's self and relationships in ways that lead to increased awareness and greater fulfillment and meaning in relationships and various aspects of one's life.

We can't determine the cards we get dealt, but we can decide how they get played. As a therapist, I am honored to walked alongside anyone who desires to explore personal goals that they may have and grow to be a better version of themselves. I believe each person deserves that opportunity no matter what their life may look like. I have experience working with youth diagnosed with severe emotional disturbances, family conflict, female survivors of domestic violence, refugees, as well as young adults on college campus.

I provide a caring, confidential, nonjudgemental environment for adolescents and adults to explore issues of disordered eating, depression and life transitions including divorce, death and grief. In addition to my counseling profession, I am also a Registered Dietitian (RD), with an increased focus on food being used to soothe emotions. My interest is to help individuals using a whole person approach with empirically supported treatments to reach increased health, well being and simply to live their best life. Together we will explore obstacles to making changes and motivation.