I was raised in a home that practiced “I statements” and family meetings. Feelings were not right, or wrong-they just were. They were encouraged to be expressed openly and without judgement. I didn’t know then that these were therapeutic tools or that all families didn’t function this way. When my father passed at the age of 11, I had my first experience with therapy and the healing power it possesses. Later, while in my master’s program, I discovered the interventions I witnessed in my own upbringing were the very ones being taught in our counseling family courses. Knowing already the positive impact these approaches have on a family system, I felt confident in taking my personal experience and education into the world of counseling children and their families. So far, it has been the most rewarding experience of my lifetime.
“If you want to change the world, go home and love your family”
-Mother teresa
Over the past six years, I have worked as a crisis intervention counselor with Baptist Medical Center, a clinical counselor at The Children’s Home Society and most recently as the Director of Counseling for Florida Children’s Institute. Each opportunity has been unique and invaluable to my personal and professional growth. Helping a child learn to process big emotions, supporting an anxious parent or walking a family through a vulnerable life moment such as the loss of loved one, has provided me with deeper insight into my greatest passion-helping shape resilient, healthy, and happy families. Trained in psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and family system approaches to therapy, I tailor my interventions to the needs of my clients.
I want to continue this outreach through Williamson Wellness and pay forward the lessons my parents and professors gifted me with. I consider it an honor to pour into individuals and families so they can turn around and do the same for themselves, one another, and their communities.
License & Affiliations
LMHC (Florida License # MH 17302)
Qualified Supervisor
JAI Institute Certified Parent Coach
Education
M.S. Mental Health Counseling, University of North Florida
B.S. Public Relations, University of Florida
