In counseling and psychotherapy, the focus is all about you; but sometimes people want to know something about the mental health professional they are working with. Here’s a little bit about me and my background:

License & Credentials

In addition to being a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists, and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC) with the Washington State Department of Health, my professional credentials include:

My professional experience includes more than 20 years of providing psychotherapy, clinical mental health counseling, relationship counseling, grief counseling, couples therapy, group therapy, behavioral health assessments, and dual diagnosis treatment in agency, academic and independent settings.

Clinical Supervision

I am a Clinical Supervisor for registered Counselor Associates seeking professional licensure in Oregon, and for post-licensed Professional Counselors who seek ongoing supervision after licensure. My experience includes training counselor interns and practicum students, and teaching assessment and counseling skills to graduate counseling students.

Education & Training

I have a Master’s Degree (MS) in Counselor Education from Portland State University’s CACREP-accredited Counselor Education program, and I completed a multi-year clinical counseling and behavioral health internship at Oregon Health & Science University’s Behavioral Health Clinic in Portland, Oregon.

My ongoing continuing education includes extensive training and study in clinical mental health treatment, clinical supervision and education, couples counseling, family counseling, trauma treatment, grief counseling, substance use treatment, counseling in multicultural settings, and professional ethics.

Leadership & Service

It is my heartfelt belief that good mental health, personal well-being and healthy relationships are essential to every person’s quality of life. Therefore, my leadership and service work focuses on ensuring that mental health services are available and accessible to all Oregonians who need them.

I am a member of the Oregon Counseling Association (ORCA) and of the American Mental Health Counselors Association. I am also a former Board Member and Executive Officer of the Oregon Mental Health Counselors Association (OMHCA), which merged with ORCA in 2012 to provide an even stronger unified voice of service, education and advocacy for Oregon’s mental health counselors.

Ethics

I am passionate about professional ethics and committed to supporting ethical practices throughout the profession of mental health counseling. I adhere to multiple Codes of Ethics, including the ethics codes of the Oregon Board of Licensed Professional Counselors and Therapists; the National Board for Certified Counselors; and the American Mental Health Counselors Association.

More About Me

As a native Oregonian and a lifelong resident of the Pacific Northwest, I am passionate about climate preservation and sustainable living! My free time activities include hiking and exploring our gorgeous Northwest, especially the coast. I’m also a gardener, committed to organic gardening practices and gardening with native plants.

I like cooking but I love baking. As a little kid, I made a chocolate cake that won a 4-H blue ribbon at the county fair! I’m also a lifelong reader with a fondness for historical fiction and good mysteries. My favorite hobbies are thrift store shopping, creating fiber arts with found or reused materials, and watching documentaries, especially about history, art, and nature.

I also love laughing, and I try to have a really good laugh at least once a day. The most important thing in my life is spending time with my family and pets.