About me
My goal is to support and affirm people as they learn to accept themselves, manage intense emotions, and navigate life transitions. My approach is informed by dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), mindfulness, parts work, and psychodrama. I believe that we all have parts of ourselves yearning to be acknowledged and accepted, and that it is possible to give ourselves what we need in a safe and affirming therapeutic relationship.
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My practice is informed by rigorous and ongoing training - we are never done learning! I am a licensed professional counselor based out of St. Louis, MO, but am available for telehealth sessions in a variety of states. I am independently licensed in Missouri and Ohio. I have a master of arts in counseling and a doctor of education in counselor education and supervision from the University of Cincinnati. I received intensive training in DBT through BehavioralTech, and I also have specialized training from the Portland DBT Institute in DBT PE, which is a highly effective DBT-informed approach to treating trauma.
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I love teaching and training emerging and seasoned mental health professionals alike. In additional to providing clinical supervision towards licensure for provisionally licensed counselors, I also train clinicians in the community and I teach master's level counseling students at Webster University.
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I affirm all genders and sexual orientations.
Prior to becoming a licensed professional counselor, I had pursued a career as a classical singer in my twenties. I had completed a master's of music in vocal performance at the Manhattan School of Music, and spent several years in New York City training and auditioning. I ultimately decided that it was not the lifestyle I wanted for myself - and honestly I wasn't really cut out for it - so I changed my career goals to work in mental health instead. I still take lessons and sing for the joy of it.
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Artists tend to be emotionally sensitive people, and the acts of creation and performance are deeply personal. I have familiarity with and great empathy for the emotional and career-related concerns associated with the arts and classical music in particular. Between my clinical mental health training and my background as an aspiring opera singer, I now consider it my calling to serve performing artists in navigating emotional, mental health, and career issues.