You can thrive in this life, not just survive it. With the right emotional support and resources, we cannot only breathe and exhale, we can sing!
It is possible to live with less anxiety, to have stronger boundaries, and move through all facets of your life with more ease.
In 1975 I was born in East Saint Louis, Illinois to teen parents. In my junior year in college, I, too, became a teen parent at 19. I was overwhelmed with parenting an infant, attending college, and working full-time so I sought help through the counseling center on campus. After working with a counselor with whom I did not connect, I sought assistance from another therapist with whom I could connect and trust. It was during my sessions with the second therapist that I felt safe enough to reveal that I had been molested and raped from age 5 to age 17.
Through my work with this counselor, I was able to understand that I had repressed my childhood sexual trauma. The therapist described the mind-body disconnection I often experienced, the rage that would bubble up over the tiniest infraction, the antagonistic way I moved in every romantic relationship, and the parenting approach of being overprotective as trauma responses. All the shame and guilt that accompanies surviving childhood sexual abuse was explained to me as normal responses to experiencing trauma as a child.
The therapist told me that I was living with symptoms of complex PTSD, generalized anxiety disorder, and major depressive disorder. Having a mental health professional explain that my maladaptive coping skills were trauma responses helped me make different choices as a parent and inspired my career choice. As a mental health professional, I am dedicated to helping individuals have healthier families, healthier relationships, and engage in healthy parenting practices. I am honored to be a part of a profession that helps people heal and make choices that help them experience more joy and inner peace.
I specialize in working with individuals who are in the BIPOC community as well as folks in the LGBTQIA community. I aim to decolonize therapy so that it benefits people with diverse cultural needs.
I affirm all sexual and gender identities that makes you who you are. In collaboration with you, I celebrate who you are and what you add to this world, your uniqueness.
Together, we can collaborate so that you thrive despite your anxiety, to help you connect with others while living with depression symptoms, and how to love yourself after experiencing trauma.
My main approach is to be supportive, validate your lived experience, provide you with honest feedback, and help you explore your options as you heal.
My passion is working with individuals going through a transition, individuals who are on a healing journey, and individuals trying to find a new path forward. If this is you, I would be honored to help you find the right path on your journey.
You do not have to just survive; you can learn to thrive.