About Me
I am a Licensed Marital and Family Therapist and Licensed Alcohol and Drug Counselor in Stillwater, OK. I’m a small town, home-grown Oklahoman. I earned my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Oklahoma State University (OSU) in 2003, my Master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from OSU in 2007, and am now considered, in the eyes of college students, a “townie.” I’ve worked for OSU since 2008, specializing in treating college students with substance use disorders. I’ve maintained a part-time private practice since 2013. I clearly love OSU, but will work with people who don’t “bleed orange.” I am a Certified Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) Therapist, Approved Consultant, and Institute for Creative Mindfulness (ICM) Faculty Licensee. I completed EMDR training in 2014, earned certification in 2018, became an Approved Consultant in 2020, and a trainer in 2021.
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My special interest areas are EMDR therapy and addiction, sexual trauma, first responders, and cultivating the therapeutic relationship necessary to support the depth of work inherent in EMDR therapy. My father is a retired firefighter/EMT and my brother is an active firefighter/paramedic. First responders, especially firefighters, are near and dear to my heart. I have worked in inpatient and outpatient alcohol and drug treatment facilities, a marriage and family therapy clinic, and in the field of domestic violence. I am knowledgeable in treating individuals, couples, and families with a range of difficulties including, substance use disorders, behavioral addictions, mental health concerns (i.e., anxiety, depression, co-occurring substance use and mental health disorders), trauma, grief, and adult children of alcoholics/addicts. At this time, my clinical focus is individual therapy for people age 16 and older. I don't tend to see couples or children (under age 16).
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I am naturally inquisitive (aka nosy), empathic, and slightly sarcastic. I’m a big fan of self-care! I enjoy reading, napping, watching reality TV on Bravo (cringe), spending time outside (preferably on a beach in a hammock), watching my two kiddos do things they love, practicing yoga, people watching, and attending concerts with my hubby. I love to travel, but am always ready to come home. You may see Brené Brown quotes framed in my office. I consider myself lucky to have found a career that suits me well, and even luckier to have found EMDR therapy. It’s an honor to walk alongside people on their paths to healing. As I’ve grown professionally, consulting and training have allowed me to share my passion and ignite a spark for EMDR therapy in fellow therapists.
My EMDR Therapy Training
By 2013, I considered myself a solid therapist. I had shaken off most of the beginning therapist jitters and arrived at a place where I felt comfortable. Resting on comfort had its appeal, but I knew I struggled to jump the trauma hurdle with clients; talk therapy only took us so far. Enter EMDR therapy. I’d heard it mentioned in professional circles and mostly knew what EMDR stood for… eye movement de(something) and reprocessing. I braved DFW traffic to get to Part I training. I went into day one with skepticism which was shattered minutes into my first practicum. I felt EMDR therapy begin to work and was ultimately floored by my experience as a client. I went into day two thinking, crap, I’ve got to pay attention because now that I know, I know. I’m going to have to figure out how to present EMDR therapy to clients (who will undoubtedly be skeptical when I ask them to follow my fingers) and I’m going to have to integrate EMDR therapy into who I am as an already “solid” therapist.
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Fast forward to today; I am an EMDR Certified Therapist, EMDRIA Approved Consultant, and Institute for Creative Mindfulness Faculty Licensee. Nothing brings more joy professionally than consulting with and training EMDR therapists. Well, wait just a minute, when a sexual assault survivor shifts from the belief “I am dirty” to “I am pure,” there may be nothing better. I know though, as an EMDR therapy consultant and trainer, I am equipping you with the ability to walk this path with your clients. While I recognize there are many ways to heal (reference equifinality-the graduate school principle we all learned), EMDR therapy is the path I’ve seen time and time again lead to the most comprehensive healing in the gentlest way. I certainly pull from other modalities, most notably systems theory, motivational interviewing, mindfulness practices, somatic work, ego state work, CBT, and other modalities as clinically relevant. EMDR therapy training undoubtedly requires an investment of time, money, and effort as well as a departure from your comfort zone. I hope that, like me, you will decide EMDR therapy was the best professional development dollars ever spent! Never have I attended conferences filled with happier, more professionally satisfied therapists, than EMDRIA conferences. All therapists know this speaks volumes!
