It is my pleasure to introduce myself and welcome you to Soul & Psyche Counseling!

personal outlook

My desire is for everyone to experience a life that is healthy, honest, and personally meaningful. So much about this world we live in and the pasts we experience compete with this desire. But I strongly believe and have invested my life in the power of the therapeutic connection. As a mental health advocate and clinician, I love bearing witness to the process of a person seeing (maybe for the first time or maybe anew) his/her own real self and learning to continue on content with what is and empowered for what will be.

I have practiced as a licensed professional counselor since 2008, working in the Lansing area until 2019. And in my practice of counseling people, I have learned that everyone longs to be heard and known. Being known requires a vulnerability most of us resist, but my office is a place where you can feel comfortable enough to explore whether it’s time to let yourself be heard and known. My aim is not to force this but to equip you with tools to manage life wherever you find yourself along the process. You won’t find rescuing in my office; you’ll do the work. And you will be amazed at what you can do!

specialties

While working in Lansing I offered counseling services, conducted and supervised psychological and neuropsychological testing, provided training to new employees and interns, and in my later years, provided mentorship to other clinicians. In 2015, my counseling focus shifted to treating patients diagnosed with Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES) by participating in research aimed at defining and treating this disorder. Many clinicians are not aware of PNES and/or do not know how to best treat it. I feel privileged to have had the opportunity to develop an understanding of this unique problem and am excited to be listed as a referral site by Dr. Lorna Myers, one of the leading researchers and psychologists on the topic. I am thrilled there is a growing research interest in PNES treatment, and I hope to continue bringing hope and healing to a historically neglected population.

I also have clinical interest and experience in treating anxiety disorders, depression, and PTSD as these disorders often coincide with PNES. Because of my education in culture and religion, I always offer for clients to incorporate their religious beliefs and faith into therapy if desired. Thus, I offer faith-based, and specifically Christian counseling for people who wish to have a religious context to their counsel. I do not, by any means, assume knowledge about all faiths but realize the importance of incorporating spirituality into lasting change.

methods and qualifications

My primary therapeutic approach focuses on identifying unhealthy or unproductive ways of thinking and behaving. This approach is called Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). We will explore together what thoughts and behaviors are keeping you from a life you enjoy living, discuss the root causes of these thoughts and behaviors, and then work together to make necessary changes. Our discussions will occur within a Person-Centered approach, which maintains that personal growth requires a genuine environment, acceptance, and empathy. In addition, I utilize mindfulness and distress tolerance techniques with most clients, and I recognize the value of incorporating spirituality into the therapy process if desired by the client. In addition, I also incorporate play and art therapies when working with children and Trauma-Focused CBT when working with PTSD.

As for professional qualifications, I earned my Master’s degree in Counseling from Spring Arbor University and studied anthropology and comparative religion at Albion College. I am fully licensed and am qualified to provide supervision to limited licensed counselors. I am also a board-certified member of the National Board for Certified Counselors and meet requirements to maintain that status.