My Background

I specialize in working with children who have been diagnosed with an adjustment disorder, ADHD, anxiety, depression, trauma, or emotional dysregulation.  Adjustment disorders pertain to managing external and internal stressors. External stressors are environmental/social that might include the adjustment due to a parent’s divorce, school stress, peer, or sibling issues. Internal stress can be the way in which we think about and process the events in our lives or the way our nervous system reacts to stress. I work with children where they are developmentally, to gain the tools needed for learning about and navigating their emotional world.

I earned my bachelor’s degree in psychology from Hamline University in St. Paul Minnesota in 1987, followed by a master’s degree in counseling psychology from St. Mary’s University in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1990.

I have additional training and experience working with individuals and families in addiction recovery. I also have experience working in several neuropsychiatric inpatient settings providing care to children and adolescents using a multi-disciplinary team approach for providing therapeutic services. 

The clinical experience has contributed both to my growth as a person and as a professional in psychology. I am committed to ongoing education and development which includes staying current with training in neuroscience, trauma, attachment theory, and human development. 

In my leisure time I enjoy being active in the outdoors, hanging out with family and friends, travel, indoor cycling, Pilates, and long walks around town lake.