There’s a better way to mental & relationship health

And I help people looking for change create a better way through empathy, support, encouragement and tangible skills for maximum benefit and fulfillment. At the core of my practice,

I help people create their solutions and I help couples build tools for improving their relationships.

I implement practical skills, common language, tangible goals, and effective coaching to make fulfillment possible.

I understand that finding a counselor that you feel comfortable with and can trust is the most important step in seeking support. As a result, I work diligently to create a safe and empowering environment that integrates empathy, compassion, and humor into every session. I support clients in their change process with thoughtful reflection, building on skills and successes, and empowering action through accountability and support. If we agree to work with each other, we can bring about real and lasting change in your life and relationships as a team. 

Why work with me?

Because a better way is possible for you too

Professional Qualifications

I’ve spent the last 20 years learning and distilling the most effective tools and resources for the maximum benefit of my clients. The benefits from incorporating the science of mental health and healthy relationships are truly life-changing. 

I am a licensed psychotherapist and couples counselor. I have been counseling and coaching women, men, couples, families and groups, ages 15+ since 2009. Many years ago, I found my passion for helping people as an outdoor educator and wilderness therapy guide in wilderness therapy programs in Colorado and Utah. I have worked extensively with children, youth, adults, couples, and families in outdoor education programs, public and alternative schools, day treatment schools, community-based mentoring organizations, substance abuse facilities, and outpatient counseling centers. I completed a two-year trauma study between 2014 and 2016 with high-conflict families experiencing mental health needs, substance use and addictive behaviors, educational differences, active trauma experiences, intergenerational trauma, abuse, and neglect. This focus on trauma and the impacts of trauma on our brains, nervous systems, quality of life, and relationships has substantially influenced the approach that I implement with clients and couples. As a result, 

my therapeutic approach integrates various evidence-based models to support clients and couples through

practical skill-building, productive & effective interventions, and sustainable changes.

These techniques include applied neuroscience education and training, humanistic and existential thought philosophies, trauma-informed care, right-brain activation and survival-brain education, solution-focused brief treatment, and acceptance and commitment therapy. Some of my couples therapy interventions incorporate the Gottman method, emotion-focused therapy, neuro-dynamic couples therapy, Stan Tatkin’s Pyschobiological Approach to Couples Therapy (PACT), attachment-based therapy, conflict management and conflict resolution skill building, and non-violent communication education and training. I specialize in a growing field called InterPersonal Neurobiology (IPNB) and Adult Attachment in relationships. IPNB incorporates the latest neuroscience research, mindfulness training, and the last 100 years of psychotherapy practice to help improve happiness and wellbeing within clients and their relationships.

While I have extensive knowledge and experience of human behavior, psychology, sociology, and neuroscience; I partner with my clients’ inherent knowledge of themselves and their challenges to facilitate sustainable changes. 

Personal Experience

I got tired of the same-old, same-old.

I believe every therapist chooses this field because of their interest, education, training and their own lived experience. This is definitely true for me. I have always been a helper but I’ve also always been analytical in my approach. I spent a lot of time looking for something meaningful and enjoyable in my work and I tried a lot of different roles on as a result. I attended art school to find I didn’t fit well there and then I found the same in business school. I found passion for education in my youth but found that I enjoyed connecting, relating and helping people more.

Over the years, helping others connect deeply with themselves and address their relationship issues became my focus.

So I committed to my own personal growth, then graduate school and a license in mental health counseling to help others find what’s most important to them and their relationships. I started my private therapy practice as a way to help others help themselves and their relationships. I know that mental health and relationship health is a journey of self-discovery and at times this can bring difficult truths. I also know that counseling and therapy provides a safe, healing space for trauma recovery and personal transformation. 

20 years ago I thought happiness was the goal but I’ve come to find that fulfillment and contentment are much more practical and sustainable.

As a result of my research and experience, I want to help others create fulfillment and contentment in their lives and their relationships. That’s what I’m most passionate about and that’s what many of the clients and couples I’ve worked with report experiencing. 

That’s my promise to my clients and to you…..

I help people create a more fulfilling future, develop the skills and tools to make it a reality, and support them as they achieve their goals and objectives.

Benefits to Previous Clients

See the Client Testimonials page for first-hand accounts of benefits

Issues Addressed

I have extensive experience addressing the following issues:

The enso symbol

“To me, the enso symbolizes our human striving for more conscious awareness while fully embracing and accepting ourselves as imperfect human beings. This is the heart and soul of my therapy practice.” – Jake

The enso is an ancient art in Japanese calligraphy. A circle made from one free-hand brushstroke expresses a moment in time when the body creates free from the mind. According to Zen, the enso symbolizes strength, elegance, the universe, absolute enlightenment, the beginning and end of all things, and the circle of life. It is widely interpreted as the acceptance of imperfection as perfect.

Sourced from: https://www.modernzen.org/enso/