About Me

I am a Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor in the state of Idaho and I am living in Idaho. I am also a Licensed Mental Health Counselor in the state of Washington. I started at a young age being insightful and a good listener. I was interested in people, sought understanding, and tried to help them solve their problems. My siblings had left home and I was raised like an only child. That caused me to be very present as my parents went through their own struggles.

I graduated high school as salutatorian of my class in 1985. I attended Gonzaga University, first majoring in English and then turning to psychology resulting in a double major of English and Psychology in 1989. I married in 1990. Then I  received a Master of Science degree in clinical psychology from Eastern Washington University in 1992. I worked as a licensed therapist in a pain clinic in Spokane, WA providing counseling to people with chronic pain and/or traumatic brain injury. I also conducted neuropsychological assessments.

Several personal, life changing events ensued. My father passed away in 1994 of a suicide. I had my first son in 1996 and stopped working to stay home and care for him. We moved to Coeur d’Alene, Idaho in 1999 and I had my second son in 2000. A couple of years later, my husband was laid off and we went through several years of struggles. I worked multiple jobs in the psychology field until I began the career I am currently in. For seven years I was a therapist in a youth residential behavioral program and since 2012, have been a therapist on the youth acute psychiatric care unit, all at Kootenai Health. I divorced in 2007. My mother passed away in 2009. Currently, life has settled. I try to keep a balance of life’s responsibilities and fulfilling experiences. During the summer, I get outdoors with kayaking and standup paddle boarding. Year round, I create gemstone and metal jewelry and wood-burned keepsake boxes. And, I have a small outpatient counseling business.