Nestled in the quiet countryside of a small Texas town, a woman has built a meaningful life and career centered on helping others. A veteran, mother, stepmother, and grandparent, she combines her life experiences with professional expertise to offer compassionate support to individuals and families navigating life’s challenges. Her path to becoming a mental health counselor was not easy. As a single mother, she balanced raising her children, working as a community mental health case manager, and earning her master’s degree in mental health counseling. This demanding period taught her resilience, time management, and empathy, which now form the foundation of her counseling practice. She understands firsthand the complexities of managing multiple responsibilities and strives to offer practical and empathetic guidance to her clients.
Her home office, set amidst the woods of rural Texas, is a tranquil space where clients can feel at ease. The natural surroundings provide a calming atmosphere that encourages introspection and healing. She believes the peacefulness of the countryside helps her clients reconnect with themselves and find clarity in their lives. Her professional expertise covers a broad range of issues, including family dynamics, relationships, divorce, pregnancy, parenthood, teen stress, anxiety management, trauma, grief, and loss. As both a mother and stepmother, she brings personal insight into the challenges and rewards of blended families. Her understanding of parenting—from sleepless nights with infants to guiding teens through complex emotions—helps her connect deeply with parents and children alike.
As a veteran, she offers a unique perspective for military families. She understands the demands of deployment, reintegration, and how military life affects relationships and family dynamics. Her military background, combined with her counseling expertise, makes her a valuable resource for veterans and their loved ones seeking guidance and support.
Her approach to counseling emphasizes creating a warm and welcoming environment. She recognizes that seeking help can feel intimidating and works to ensure her clients feel safe and understood. By blending traditional therapeutic techniques with mindfulness practices and grounding exercises, she helps clients develop resilience and achieve balance in their lives.
For over 20 years, she has been part of a dedicated group focused on understanding the customs and traditions of Indigenous peoples in the Americas. This experience has profoundly influenced her counseling style, allowing her to integrate practical wisdom that emphasizes self-mastery and shadow work. These practices encourage clients to explore their inner selves, confront hidden aspects of their psyche, and foster healthier relationships and a sense of inner peace.
Her blended approach combines cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), mindfulness, and Gestalt therapy with other holistic practices. She teaches meditation techniques using deep breathing, guided imagery, and drumming. These methods help clients ground themselves in the present, reduce anxiety, and enhance their overall well-being. The rhythmic drumming, in particular, draws from Indigenous traditions and creates a meditative state that facilitates emotional release and self-discovery.
She has a particular talent for working with teens, who often face intense pressure from academics, social media, and peer relationships. She provides a space where they can express themselves freely, build confidence, and learn effective coping strategies. Her goal is to help young people navigate these formative years with greater self-assurance and emotional strength.
In her work with grief and loss, she offers a compassionate approach tailored to each individual’s needs. Having experienced personal loss, she understands the importance of honoring grief’s unique process and timeline. She helps clients process their emotions, celebrate the lives of their loved ones, and find ways to move forward while holding cherished memories close.
Her practice is built on the belief that people have the capacity for growth and healing. She views herself as a guide, helping clients uncover their strengths and navigate challenges with confidence. Each session is customized to meet the specific needs of individuals, couples, or families, with a focus on fostering understanding and connection. Her emphasis on self-mastery and shadow work empowers clients to face their struggles with courage and transform them into opportunities for growth.
Outside of her professional life, she treasures her role as a grandmother. Time spent with her grandchildren brings joy and reminds her of the importance of presence and connection. She also finds peace in her rural lifestyle, appreciating the restorative power of nature and quiet moments in the woods. Her hobbies include gardening, quilting, and tending to her chickens. She takes pride in working with wood to build small projects and enjoys landscaping her property, finding these activities both grounding and creatively fulfilling.
Her childhood was shaped by the strong influence of her grandparents, who instilled in her the importance of community and taking care of others. Her grandfather was a small-town country doctor, known for his dedication to the well-being of his neighbors. Her grandmother, a stay-at-home mother of three boys, extended her nurturing spirit to help young mothers in the family navigate the challenges of parenthood. She recalls fond memories of an aunt visiting their home for prenatal check-ups, a testament to the close-knit support system her family embodied.
These early experiences left a lasting impression, teaching her that taking care of the whole community benefits every individual within it. This perspective informs her counseling approach, emphasizing interconnectedness and the value of mutual support.
She has also faced her own struggles with depression, anxiety, and grief. Through her personal journey, she has relied on the same techniques she teaches her clients: mindfulness, shadow work, and self-mastery. These practices have helped her confront inner challenges and emerge stronger, fostering a deep empathy for those walking similar paths.
Her story is one of perseverance and dedication to both personal and professional growth. By sharing her experiences and expertise, she has helped many individuals and families find their paths to healing and fulfillment. Her work is a testament to the power of compassion, understanding, and the belief that change is possible.
In her comfortable and inviting home office, this counselor continues to provide a space for exploration and growth. Her mission is to empower clients to confront challenges, embrace their strengths, and build healthier relationships with themselves and others. Her journey serves as a reminder that with determination and support, healing and growth are attainable.
