Why I Became a Psychologist
I became a psychologist because I'm endlessly curious about people—their pain, their resilience, and the often-invisible strategies they've developed just to get through the day. Every behavior that looks like a problem from the outside usually makes complete sense when you understand the weight a person has been carrying. That's the lens I bring to this work: curiosity first, judgment never.
Education & Credentials
- Ph.D. in Clinical-Counseling Psychology, University of South Alabama (APA Accredited)
- M.A. in Clinical Psychology, University of Dayton
- B.A. in Journalism and Psychology, Michigan State University
- Licensed Psychologist – State of Florida (License #PY12275)
My Backstory
Before I ever sat in a therapist's chair, I was a journalist searching for truth in other people's stories. It was rewarding, but also left me wanting more: more connection, more depth, more being present with people in the messiness of their lives. Volunteering on a crisis hotline changed everything—I learned that listening and being present could be just as powerful as having the "right" answers.
That shift eventually led me to the VA, where I've spent over six years working with Veterans and first responders, and the last several as an addiction psychologist, navigating some of the heaviest experiences a person can carry—combat trauma, moral injury, grief, identity loss, and the substances or behaviors they've relied on to survive it all. That work has shaped everything about how I think about people. I've seen firsthand how tightly trauma and addiction are woven together: the drinking that started as the only way to sleep, the isolation that felt safer than risking connection, the numbing that made the unbearable bearable. None of it is weakness. All of it makes sense.
That clinical background is what I bring into private practice. Working at the intersection of deep pain and the patterns people develop to manage it—consciously or not—is where I feel most useful. Whether someone identifies as struggling with addiction, trauma, or just a sense of being profoundly stuck, the work is usually the same: understanding what the behavior is protecting, and finding a way to address the pain itself.
Spirituality also shapes my perspective as a therapist. I don't assume or promote any particular set of beliefs, but I honor the human drive to seek out what is most meaningful, worthy, or sacred in life—whatever that looks like for you. I believe therapy can help you integrate your values, clarify your vision for your life, and live in a way that feels true to you.
My Values and Approach
My approach starts from one core belief: the things that look like problems—the drinking, the avoidance, the self-sabotage, the shutting down—usually began as solutions. They're the brain's way of coping with pain that felt too big to hold any other way. My job isn't to shame you out of those patterns. It's to get curious about them with you, understand what they've been protecting, and help you find ways to address the underlying pain so you don't need the coping strategy as much.
I work at the intersection of trauma and addictive behaviors, which often aren't two separate problems—they're one story. I integrate experiential, mindfulness-based, and trauma-informed approaches, with a focus on the here-and-now while honoring each person's full history and context. Above all, I show up as a real human—curious, direct, and engaged—helping you move from surviving to actually living.
Who I Work Best With
I work best with adults who sense that something underneath their visible struggles—the drinking, the anxiety, the checking out, the ways they keep ending up in the same place—is driving the bus. You don't have to have it figured out or be ready to give anything up. You just have to be willing to get curious.
Many of the people I work with are navigating the space where trauma and substance use or compulsive behaviors overlap. That might look like a Veteran who's been using alcohol to manage nightmares for years, or someone whose relationship with substances quietly became the main way they handle stress, grief, or emotional pain they've never had a safe space to process. It might also look less dramatic than that—just a persistent sense of being stuck, of coping strategies that used to work but don't anymore.
Together, we'll slow down and look honestly at what's happening—not to judge it, but to understand it. And from that understanding, we can start building something different: not just sobriety or symptom relief, but a way of living that actually fits who you are and who you want to be.
Commitment to Inclusivity
I am committed to providing a welcoming, respectful, and affirming environment for all adults, regardless of background, identity, or life experience. My practice is grounded in cultural humility and lifelong self-reflection, striving to honor the full complexity of each client's lived experience.