“How can you listen to problems all day?”
That’s a question I get asked frequently.
The answer is quite simple – I’m nosey curious about people’s lives, and I also know what calling I have on my life.
I was born and raised in the church; from a young age (14), I knew I was called to be a counselor.
I was one of those abnormal young people who never wavered in their degree choice. I received my BS in Psychology at the University of Central Florida and my MA in Mental Health Counseling at Rollins College. Both of these schools were great educations and good foundations, but neither taught me how to be a counselor.
Life taught me to be a counselor.
From getting lost at the state fair at 2, to being anorexic in my teen years, and even through the tragedy of a divorce, life has taught me how to have compassion and grace for what my clients are facing in their lives.
I also know the power of therapy in my own life and the healing that it can offer. In addition to the power of therapy, I also know the power of a good run and a hard workout, as I have been a gym rat since I was 14 years old. I was one of two girls in my high school weightlifting class. I also know the power of laughing. My family (husband, 3 kids, and a dog) engage in this form of therapy often to the point of crying.
My goal with clients is getting to the heart of the matter and making heart changes.
I like to discover the hidden messages that people live their lives by and start transforming these messages to ones of strength, hope, and love.
I am a qualified supervisor and supervise registered interns after they graduate. I often tell them that we have one of three jobs: we are either planting seeds of change, watering seeds of change, or reaping the harvest. This is what makes my job of “listening to problems all day” easy – because regardless of what my “job” is, I am making a difference.