About
About YOU
Congratulations! You’ve made it!
One step closer to getting the help you’ve been waiting for!
When you come to your initial appointment, you’ll probably be a little nervous. I get it! I know I was – the first time I reached out for help.
Making that initial phone call, finding an hour you could shave out of your schedule to concentrate on *you* (gasp!), getting away from the house and making it to the appointment on time – all of those might have felt like considerable hassles to get here. But –
You have arrived!
The building isn’t much in appearance.
If you’ve lived in or around Billings for any length of time, you’ve probably driven by it hundreds of times – without ever even noticing.
But that’s ok! Sometimes, the magic happens in the places where we least expect it.
“Hmmm,” you might think, as we walk into my office. “This isn’t what I was expecting at all – there’s no couch, no leather furniture, no ferns, no throw pillows.”
“But it’s cozy. And the chairs look comfy. Oooooh, and look at all the pretty rainbows!” as the sun’s rays ricochet from the prisms in the window.
You’ll settle into one of the chairs, and we’ll talk.
And the work begins.
Sometimes, we’ll laugh. Sometimes, there might be tears.
Together, we’ll tackle tough questions – and maybe even tougher answers.
We’ll talk about where you want to be.
And, more importantly, we’ll create and implement your customized plan for getting there.
Change is never easy.
If it were, we’d have already done it!
Have you ever seen a bird hatching from an egg – in real-time? (Search YouTube for it sometime. When you’re done here – of course. 😉 )
It takes way longer than you think it should, and it looks far more painful. It’s arduous, messy, awkward, unsightly.
And that newborn chick doesn’t pop out all fluffy and cute and ready to play in the barnyard.
Quite the opposite. It’s exhausted, soggy, its breathing labored, and its sparse feathers mussed and jutting at odd angles. Sometimes, they don’t even look like feathers – merely sad, stunted twigs.
I hate to break it to you, but sometimes therapy is like that. Messy, painful, and exhausting.
But it’s necessary. And oh, so WORTH it!
Don’t let that scare you – without that struggle, the tiny chick wouldn’t be able to build up the strength and fortitude it will need to survive, to grow, to take off, and fly!
If that chick can do it, SO CAN YOU!!! And unlike that baby bird, you don’t have to crack that shell that’s been holding you back alone.
I’ll be right beside you every step of the way.
About Me
My Hatchling Evolution
In many ways, my journey to becoming a therapist has been like the evolution of that baby bird.
I started out of high school at a tiny Bible college, where I was going to “save the world” as a youth pastor.
When that, um, didn’t work out, I transferred to MSU-Billings, where I graduated cum laude with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications & Theatre and a minor in Theatre Therapy.
Do you know how many jobs there are in Montana for someone with a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a minor in theatre therapy? Nope, guess again. Lower… still lower… there you go! Getting close!
Clipped Wings
Back to the nest. I worked customer service jobs, mostly answering phones, getting yelled at by customers I would never meet in person, about things over which I had no control.
Until, one day, I hit a wall. I couldn’t do it anymore.
I couldn’t get out of bed; I couldn’t move – I couldn’t even get up enough energy to shower.
So, with some loving “encouragement” from my husband, I tried therapy.
Learning to Fly
The therapist helped me put the pieces of my brain back together.
I learned to quiet what I called my “brain weasels” – those negative messages always squealing inside my head – reminding me of everything I was doing wrong, wasn’t doing enough, or about every time I had embarrassed myself since Junior High.
From there, I went back to school for my master’s degree in Social Work. I worked in various group homes, with the community mental health center, and then as a therapist at a local middle school until I had gained enough “supervision” to test for my license.
Soaring to New Heights
After practicing my takeoffs, here I am!
I launched my private practice on February 3, 2020, and I’m still growing.
About six weeks later, our governor issued a “shelter in place” order because of COVID-19 (because I’ve always had such excellent timing!!), and I learned to take my practice into telehealth.
However, no matter how far from the nest my flights carry me, I’ll always remember my desire to save the world, and now I’m doing it – one person at a time.
I hope you’ll be next.