My Background

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I am honored for the opportunity to work with adults, adolescents, and couples in the Lake Norman area to assist in meeting goals, coping with challenges, and guiding personal exploration. It is truly a privilege for me to take part in others’ journey for a fulfilling life. My goal is to provide support, understanding, and practical tools uniquely tailored for each individual or couple. Given a safe and supportive environment, I believe people have the natural tendency towards growth, which is why I aim to provide a collaborative relationship where people feel heard and valued. I work from an interpersonal and holistic perspective, which means I focus on all aspects of wellness and the importance of the therapeutic relationship to promote trust and change in all areas of life. 

I received my Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology from the University of Central Florida in 2011 and my PhD in Counseling from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 2015. I am currently a Licensed Clinical Mental Health Counselor (LCMHC) in North Carolina, and I am a member of the American Counseling Association, the North Carolina Counseling Association, and the Association for Counselor Education and Supervision. 

I have training and experience in individual, group, couples and family counseling.I have a variety of experiences working in college counseling, career counseling, school counseling in a high school setting, inpatient treatment, and substance abuse counseling. I enjoy working with a range of issues, from navigating life transitions, depression, anxiety, and relationship issues, to more severe mental health issues. While working on my doctorate, I focused on specializing in addiction, where I have learned to help people and their families struggling with substance abuse. More recently, I have begun to explore ways to incorporate neuroscience into my practice of counseling, and I now offer Alpha-Stim for the treatment of depression, anxiety, and insomnia.  

I am committed to offering evidenced-based treatment approaches and use an integrative approach of cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) and psychodynamic perspectives with clients. I also draw from other approaches, such as Motivational Interviewing and family systems, based on the client's needs. 

The South Carolina Board of Professional Counselors has granted me approval as a Professional Counselor Telehealth Provider. This means that I can provide Telehealth services to clients located in the state of South Carolina. My registration number is TLC.1174.PC. 

SC Telehealth Provider webpage: https://llr.sc.gov/TeleHealth/Counselor.html

In addition to offering counseling services, I also serve as an adjunct professor where I provide education and training to Master's-level students in counseling. Currently, I teach a variety of face-to-face courses in the Department of Counseling at UNC Charlotte. I also teach in the online counseling program in the Department of Applied Psychology at New York University. 

I am a published researcher in the areas of social justice/multicultural counseling, professional identity development, and sexual assault. I am also a regular contributing presenter at national and regional professional conferences.