Philosophy

My practice relies primarily on my professional training, and also draws extensively from my life experiences. I have had stops and starts along the way of pursuing my dream to be a professional counselor, some planned and some unplanned.

After college, I became licensed to teach PreK-6th grade in the state of Texas, and loved doing that for three years. I started a family in 2000, and had the option to stay home and raise my kids, which I did until 2013. In that time, I started working on my M.S. while volunteering in various capacities in community and educational settings (and moving three times!). I finished my M.S. in 2018 and worked in a private practice in Naperville, IL, where I worked extensively serving LGBTQIA+ folks providing gender affirming care, as well as individuals, couples and families dealing with a variety of life challenges.

In 2021, I changed lanes to work in a college environment as the Counseling Coordinator of the Benedictine University Counseling Center where I served a diverse student body and provided site and clinical supervision to a number of master’s level clinical interns as well as a Staff Counselor. I continue to work as an adjunct instructor teaching both undergraduate and graduate level psychology courses.

In late 2023, Willow Tree Mental Wellness was born of a desire to have my own private practice, serving any clients looking for positive change in their lives. I’m grateful you’re here.