About
It is not easy to go through therapy to find a better ‘YOU’! It takes a growth mindset and a positive attitude that will allow you to question yourself, your thoughts, and be willing to put yourself out there asking for help.
My ideal clients want to grow and tend to have these qualities:
- Desires to make lasting change – I generally limit myself to working only with serious, committed clients.
- Is willing to take risks and try new things – I will ask clients to think in new ways and take actions that may be different from their usual way of behaving.
- Values honest and direct feedback – I am committed to each client’s personal healing and growth.
- Understands what therapy is about – Clients should know the value of following through on assignments between sessions, keeping appointments, and being honest with themselves and us.
About Me
It’s natural that you may want to know a little more about me. I have been working with adults, couples, teenagers, and families for over 30 years. I’ve also been a client.
I believe in the mental and emotional benefits of counseling, and it has helped me through some difficult times and aided my growth and development as a person.
I believe that counselors can’t help anyone go any farther than they’ve gone themselves, so the counselor who has not done their work will have difficulties helping clients do their work.
My education began at Mississippi State University where I earned graduate degrees in counseling. I also did additional graduate study at Georgia State University and Trinity Divinity School.
In Mississippi, we have magnet residential schools for academically talented and gifted and creatively gifted juniors and seniors. I’ve worked as a counselor at the Mississippi School for Mathematics and Science, as well as the Mississippi School for the Arts.
I was a counselor at the Mississippi State University Student Counseling Center for four years. From 2008 to 2012, I trained mental health and school counselors as a member of the Counselor Education faculty at Delta State University.
I have maintained a part-time private counseling practice since 2002 and went into full-time practice in 2012.
Affiliations: I earned the designation as a National Certified Counselor (NCC) and a National Certified School Counselor (NCSC) by the National Board for Certified Counselors, a private certifying agency that recognizes counselors who have distinguished themselves through meeting the board’s rigorous standards for education, knowledge, and experience.
I am a member of the American Counseling Association, The Mississippi Licensed Professional Counselors Association, and the Association for Contextual Behavioral Science.
Additional Training: In addition to my graduate education, I have had additional training in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Adlerian Psychotherapy, Cognitive-Behavior Therapy, Compassion-Focused Therapy, EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing), Exposure Therapy, Gottman Marriage and Couples Therapy, the integration of counseling and religion/spirituality, Internal Family Systems Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Neuro-Linguistic Programming, Positive Psychology, and Solution-Focused Brief Therapy.
Supervision: I am an approved supervisor by the Mississippi Board of Licensed Professional Counselors. I have been supervising graduate and post-graduate counselors for over ten years.