You are here, and that is the first, most challenging step. I would love to
help you figure out where to go next. My practice specialties include adult
survivors of childhood abuse/trauma, substance use, PTSD, abuse and
neglect, mental health disorders, recidivism/institutionalization, life
transitions, and grief & loss. I am an LGBTQIA+ ally and safe practitioner.
My approach is non-evasive and collaborative. You can expect a
compassionate, supportive, and understanding partner in your mental health
care. I have experience as a social worker in the criminal justice field. I
have worked as a Federal Public Defender mitigation specialist, a Muskegon
County Jail therapist, and with a Federal reentry program. In these
experiences with clients, I have gained a better perspective of how abuse,
neglect, and trauma can manifest into adulthood as mental health disorders,
substance use disorders, personality disorders, and engagement with the
criminal justice system.
I have been married for 14 years and share five children in a blended
family. Our oldest four children are adults and living on their own. Our
family has expanded, too, with marriages and grandbabies. Witnessing our
children transition into adulthood has been rewarding and difficult as we
are forced to navigate what it means to parent adult children. Before
marriage, I struggled early in life as a teenage parent, living in public
housing and working multiple jobs to provide. Mostly, I found it difficult
to be plunged into adulthood with an adolescent brain, only just graduating
high school a few months earlier. After my second child was born, I
realized I needed to decide whether my choices positively affected my
children, and the reality was that my fast life was not providing the
stability they deserved. When I met my partner, and we blended our
families, we had some major growing pains. Well, to be fair, we had more
pain than not. Not only were we attempting to establish roles within a new
marriage with four children around the same age, but also navigating
co-parenting was almost too much for our marriage to bear. However, we made
it through those difficult times and created a solid foundation in our
marriage and for our children. We added another child to our family in
2012, which brought new challenges but also fulfillment. When our oldest
children graduated from high school and were headed to college, I decided
that maybe I should give education a try too. Living what felt like an
entire life prior to my education gave me a unique perspective on my future
profession as a therapist. I am a limited license master-level social
worker (LLMSW) and certified trauma professional (CTP). I graduated from
Grand Valley State University (GVSU) with a master of social work degree in
2022 after completing my bachelor of social work at GVSU in 2021.
I understand what it means to rise from the ashes of dysfunction, substance
abuse, and trauma into a new life of stability. Regardless of how you got
to where you are now, I would love to walk with you on your journey towards
inner peace and peace of mind. You do not have to bear your burdens alone
anymore. Lean on me. I look forward to helping you become the person you
want to be.
