It wasn’t my dream to become a mental health professional, but I’ve always had an interest in the human mind and personality … seriously, I doubt many other teenagers in the 70’s had their own subscription to Psychology Today. I do distinctly remember watching Bob Newhart play a Psychologist though on one of his sitcoms and thinking “he gets paid for that?”

I received my B.A. in Psychology at the University of Notre Dame. A post-graduate internship transferred me to Southern California where I then received my M.B.A. at Long Beach State and pursued a career in banking.

After several executive leadership positions with West Coast banks, consolidations in the industry afforded me the opportunity to change careers. I truly felt a call from God to attend seminary, but not necessarily become a pastor. I decided to get back to my “roots” and pursue a Master’s degree at Western Seminary in Counseling. Sitting in my first theology class, I knew I was where I was supposed to be.

I joined a church-based counseling center after graduation and started the long process of becoming licensed. Combining my administrative skills with my therapeutic skills, I served as the Clinic Director for 10 years, at which time I “retired” from management to focus solely on my true passion, working with clients.

COVID-19 brought a whole new set of challenges and opportunities. As with many of us, I quickly adapted and found that telehealth was equally effective for successful outcomes. I now have a home-based private practice where I exclusively work with my therapy and coaching clients by phone or video.