Are you ready for your personal life to feel as successful as your work life? For those ready, I am here to start digging for the root of repeated patterns and find what change is needed to bring peace into your life. I am a Licensed Psychologist (license no. 39215) who provides results-driven counseling services in Frisco, Tx. I specialize in working with highly ambitious women seeking a more deeply connected marriage. This means you are committed to reading, journaling, practicing new skills outside the session, and committing to being authentic in our time together. We will cultivate a transformative space allowing you to unearth your potential and begin writing the next chapter of your life.
My healing journey began in my early 20s when I realized that even though I was working on my Ph.D., was married to my college sweetheart, and had a beautiful home, I was deeply unhappy. I had always known that there were addiction and abuse issues in my upbringing, but I felt I had overcome them, and they weren’t impacting me any longer. While it’s true that I had overcome a lot of these issues, other aspects of my life were a trainwreck. I had coped with my childhood by building a false self that I projected into the world, eventually leading to unhealthy relationship patterns, a work addiction, alcoholism, a shopping addiction, burnout, anger issues, and a strained marriage. Just to name a few. I knew I wanted to process and work through my childhood trauma when I started therapy, but I had no idea how it would unravel my life.
In my office, you can show up exactly as you are. Whether confused, frustrated, or heartbroken, you are welcome in our space. You can expect to be held with a balance of warmth and gentleness while also being challenged to continually lean into your experience and take accountability for your role in issues.
Furthermore, you can expect to receive a lot of psychoeducation. I approach treatment from a developmental perspective. This means that when you first enter therapy, there is a lot of direct education. It is critical to understand what abuse and trauma is/isn’t to form healthier behaviors and patterns. However, as you grow and heal, I take a less directive approach and encourage clients to wrestle with what it is to be human and wonder with them in whichever direction their soul pulls.
You will also notice that I’m a huge believer in staying in my lane. I know what I know well, and I’m aware of my clinical limitations. Therefore, I don’t hesitate to refer to other clinicians who are experts in an issue if it’s not something I am familiar with and/or believe you may receive more effective treatment elsewhere. Depending on the situation, this can evolve into a team approach or referral altogether. My priority is always that you are receiving the best care regardless of whether or not it’s with me.
When I’m not at the office, you can usually catch me taking a million pictures of my daughter or on a walk these days. Watching her explore and experience this life is one of my greatest joys.
I also love movie nights with my husband, board games with friends, hosting get-togethers, hiking, running, honest conversations (miss me with the small talk), organizing our home, and binging whatever new vampire teen drama has come out on Netflix (although I will probably be re-watching Vampire Diaries forever).
When we experience trauma (anything overwhelming for our brain), the connection between our mind and body is severed to protect us. While this is necessary, it can lead to difficult healing. This is how we can live a life that isn’t aligned with what we want. If we cannot access the wisdom of our body and, therefore, our emotions, we struggle to know what we desire and how to get there.
Here’s the thing. Despite these issues, I was also killing it in my grad program (as much as anyone can in that environment). I excelled at my work and prided myself on going the extra mile. I was accustomed to being viewed as an overachiever who got things right the first time. I was the person that people looked to when they needed something done right, and I loved it. I had no idea that being an overachiever with no boundaries was a trauma response.
During my first session, my therapist told me that either my husband would do his work as well or we would get a divorce. Looking back, I don’t think I knew what those words really meant. Fast forward a few years, and we planned to get a divorce after he told me he wasn’t in love with me anymore. We had not grown together, and the stagnancy eroded our relationship. However, amid all this chaos, my husband decided to enter therapy for himself and begin his family-of-origin work. The work was grueling, took tremendous commitment, and transformed our lives.
Today, we both identify as being in our second marriage built on a much sturdier and healthier foundation. We talk about holding a space for one another where we will never have to abandon ourselves again. While not perfect, ours is a love that is deeply transformational and nourishing. But we didn’t find it. We cultivated and fought for it. And we still do. It’s not a fairy tale with a happy ending but a story of hope. There's a new life where you will let the old die and surrender to a more honest reality.
We also just welcomed our first child into our family. After planning for her arrival for the past 2 years, processing how we wanted to raise her and getting our house in order regarding our family of origin trauma, we are deeply grateful and content with the life we’ve built.
This story, my story, is why I do what I do. I believe that relationships are messy, and you deserve someone to help you navigate them. I also believe that you are all capable of deep inner transformation and are worthy of a life that brings you fiery joy and gentle peace. And I know it’s possible because I’ve done it.
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I draw on several different theories and modalities, and they all honor this core tenant of returning home to yourself and restoring that mind-body connection:
TRAINING
Ph.D. in School Psychology from Texas Woman’s University in 2019
BA in Psychology from Texas Tech University in 2014
EDUCATION
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