My approach with mental health is rooted in a firm belief in the mind, body, spirit, culture connection. My education has followed this belief accordingly, and my journey has led me to pursue knowledge and tools that are aligned with this belief. I have been and continue to be fascinated by the interplay between the mind, body, spirit, and culture and how this impacts our mental health.

 

SPIRIT & MIND: I obtained a master's degree in Pastoral Counseling from Loyola University in 2012, where I learned the importance of spirituality and how it plays a role in our mental health, various traumas, and ability to heal.

 

BODY & CULTURE: While I was getting my master's I earned a Holistic Health certification from the Institute for Integrative Nutrition and worked as a Health Coach. It was during that time that I focused in on issues with binge eating and body image, learning the mind/body/emotions connection that is so important to how those types of issues often play out with women and how I had seen them play out in my own struggles with food. Since then, I have also dug into the ways cultural oppression plays out in disordered eating and the patriarchal views that create body image issues in so many women. 

 

I interned in addiction treatment centers as well as high schools and again saw the link between so many patterns of disordered eating and addiction and it continue to be a passion of mine to support women to treat their bodies with love and kindness no matter what. 

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BODY & SPIRIT: Yoga has been a long-time ally as I've nurtured my relationship with my body, and for this reason I dove in and got certified as a yoga teacher from Baltimore Yoga Village in 2014. I actually completed the 9-month program during my first pregnancy and brought my 1-week-old son to the graduation ceremony!

 

As well as becoming a stepmother, and soon after a mother, I gained experience in community mental health, working both in-home and in clinics, helping people of all ages and levels of trauma. Stepping into a mothering role has been and continues to be a huge personal growth experience for me, bringing up childhood issues and emotions I never knew I had!

 

This has led to my continued passion in supporting women and the importance of women's empowerment in all their roles. I obtained a certification as a Stepfamily Coach after hiring my own coach to help me with my Stepmom challenges. 

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SPIRIT & MIND: Prior to going back to school for my master's degree, I became passionate about personal growth and truth-seeking for the sake of authenticity starting at a 10-day silent meditation retreat, to which I became very dedicated for several years. I attribute this time and intensive practice and study to the value and supportiveness I find in Buddhism, for me rooted in the Vipassana meditation teachings of S.N. Goenka.

 

I continue to practice meditation (though not nearly as time intensely as I did back then!), teach it to those who are open to it, and am referring often to mindfulness concepts that stem from the understanding and continued study I have done in this tradition. 

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I have continued to study various modalities and attended all sorts of personal growth experiences for the sake of practicing and coming as close as I can to authenticity as well as unconditional self-love, which I truly believe is the answer to so many mental health ailments. A lot of what I have discovered and found the most valuable has been in gaining the ability to listen to my body over my head for the answers I need, and I love supporting people to find ways of doing this for themselves. 

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I currently live in Baltimore County with my 2 bio kids, a teenage stepson, and my partner.   I work from home, seeing clients via telehealth as well as meeting folks on trails for walk-and talk sessions and leading mindfulness & nature hikes for both therapists and non-therapists.

 

It is also at home where I grow my garden in the summer and go hiking as often as possible. We homeschool our two bio-kids made possible by their 3-day a week tutorial that they attend Elderberry Outdoor School.

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 I love supporting people in a gentle, process-oriented therapeutic way as well as in a compassionately direct action-oriented approach. I truly believe that all of my life challenges have informed my passions and continue to help me become more compassionate, committed to human being resilience and empowerment. 

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I believe in possibilities and authenticity and that sometimes you just need to dance and sing to feel better! 

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