You’re not a bad kid, and you’re not a bad parent. You’re a person trying to navigate something hard.
That’s one of the most important things I want children and parents to know when they walk through my door. When a young child is anxious, angry, overwhelmed, struggling with transitions, experiencing grief, or behaving in ways that leave everyone frustrated, it can be easy to focus on stopping the behavior. I want to slow down and ask a different question: What might this child be trying to tell us?
I specialize in working with young children, from toddlers and preschoolers through elementary school, with a particular passion for children experiencing grief, big emotions, behavioral challenges, and life in non-parental care households, including foster and kinship care. I have a special place in my heart for “the littles.” Young children are sometimes underestimated or misunderstood because they cannot explain their experiences the way adults can, but they are far more perceptive and capable than we often give them credit for.
My primary approach is Adlerian Play Therapy. Children don’t always have the words to say, I’m scared. I don’t feel like I belong. Everything has changed. I’m worried someone will leave. I don’t know what to do with how angry I feel. Instead, those experiences may come out through behavior and play. Play therapy gives children a developmentally appropriate way to communicate their inner world while helping me understand the needs, beliefs, and emotions underneath what we see on the outside.
Adlerian therapy pays particular attention to a child’s need to belong, feel capable, know they matter, and develop courage. Rather than simply trying to eliminate an unwanted behavior, I want to help children understand themselves, build confidence, develop emotional regulation and coping skills, solve problems, strengthen relationships, and discover healthier ways of navigating difficult experiences.
Before becoming a counselor, I spent more than 10 years working with exceptional learners from preschool through 12th grade in the public school system. I hold a Master of Education in Special Education as well as a Master of Education in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, both from the University of West Georgia. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) and have additional experience in crisis and suicide intervention, addictions counseling, pastoral counseling, and school-based counseling. My experience as a CASA (Court Appointed Special Advocate) has also deeply influenced my passion for children whose lives have been shaped by trauma, loss, disrupted caregiving, or experiences within the foster care system.
As for what therapy with me actually feels like, I’ve been called the “Miss Frizzle of therapy,” while parents have also told me I have a “grandma” feel. Somehow, both are accurate. I bring warmth, curiosity, creativity, encouragement, and plenty of personality into the playroom. I started college as an art major, and that creative part of me never really went away.
I believe every child is uniquely created, deeply valuable, and capable of growth and change. When a child or family wants faith to be part of therapy, I am honored to incorporate it in ways that support their therapeutic goals.
I don’t believe children change through shame or criticism. Change grows through connection, encouragement, understanding, and courageous small steps. I want parents to feel understood rather than judged, too. You don’t need to arrive with all the answers. Part of my role is to help you become curious about what may be happening underneath your child’s behavior and figure out together what your child—and your family—needs.
My hope is that children leave therapy with more than strategies for managing symptoms. I want them to carry something deeper with them:
I belong.
I matter.
I am capable.
I have courage.
I can handle hard things.
Outside the playroom, I’m married with two grown daughters and share my home with a dog, a cat, and five pet ducks. Yes, five. Apparently the “Miss Frizzle” description extends beyond the office.