About Me: I was born and raised in the Rockford area. In 2015 I decided to leave home for the first time and moved to Columbia, MO to complete my bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology at the University of Missouri. After receiving my bachelor’s degree in 2017, I moved back home to complete my Master’s degree at Roosevelt University in Chicago. I completed my graduate internship at the Association for Individual Development in McHenry as an outpatient counselor. While there, I co-led a therapy group and taught psychosocial rehabilitation groups on mindfulness, depression, and codependency. I even taught a hybrid class where I played the tabletop RPG game Dungeons & Dragons with clients in order to teach decision-making and social skills. In the future, I would like to become fully certified in the use of therapeutically-applied role-playing games. Currently I am also employed as a crisis counselor in the emergency department of a local hospital, but I will soon be leaving that position to work as an outpatient counselor at a community mental health center during the week.
My Style: I work from a generalist perspective but my approach has a heavy emphasis on helping clients challenge harmful thought patterns and recognizing patterns in their thoughts/behaviors. I try not to take myself too seriously and like to utilize humor in my sessions with clients when appropriate.
Fun Facts: I play video games in my free time, mostly on PC but also play occasionally on PS4. I play tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons with a group of friends on a fairly regular basis. I have two cats named Gadget and Gizmo who are biological brothers and have never been apart. I have a fondness for Harry Potter (I’m a Hufflepuff), Lord of the Rings, and true crime documentaries.