My goal is to listen empathetically to my clients, meet them where they're at, and partner with them in reaching their goals. I believe there is great power and healing through attending to the hurting parts of ourselves that we often don’t share with the outside world. I work with children, teen girls, and do individual counseling at this time.

 

I am pursuing my Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Grand View University. I received my Bachelor's in Ministry Leadership with a concentration in Women's Ministry from Moody Bible Institute. I have been involved in discipling college-aged women in college ministry and have worked in ministry at a shelter for homeless women and their children.

I consider it a blessing to have been part of two international missions teams, the first to Zambia and the second to Honduras. These trips exposed me to human suffering in ways I don't think I would have otherwise experienced. They have impacted the way I view people, giving me a lens from which to view my clients as people--not problems, first.

I consider it an extension of my counseling work and a privilege to also work at Assault Care Center Extending Shelter and Support (ACCESS) in Ames as an on-call victim advocate. I respond to hospitals and police stations advocating for the needs of sexual assault and domestic violence victims. As part of this position, I am a certified victim counselor with training in trauma-informed care, crisis intervention, various types of abuse, the civil and criminal justice systems, and more as it relates to sexual and domestic violence.

Professional interests include issues of: Trauma, Mothering and Women's Issues, Life Adjustment, Anxiety, and Self-Worth.

I am an Iowa native, though my husband's work has taken us to Kansas City, Dallas, and now back to Iowa. We have three young children. I love finding new coffee shops to frequent, reading a good book, and having family time.