“When we begin to know ourselves in an open and self-supportive way, we take the first step to encourage our children to know themselves.” ~ Dan Siegel, MD
When I was picking a topic for my dissertation, I was searching for the root of my interest in this field. There were many, but I was most fascinated learning how profoundly babies, toddlers, and young children are impacted by their parents.
When I learned that experiences with parents in early childhood (i.e., the way a parent acts with their young child) hugely inform mental health, physical health, learning abilities, ambition, confidence, friendships, romantic partner choices, and more….for life…. I couldn’t look away.
This journey led me to serve as a therapist for infants and toddlers in the foster care system, in school and medical systems, into my own therapy to become more conscious about how my own early experiences impacted me, through academia, where I wrote my dissertation on this topic, and into private practice.
I love this work because sometimes things can look and feel like such a mess (for lack of better words), yet simple, noninvasive, non-pharmaceutical things, that also help caregivers, can bring quick, deep, and lasting relief.
Helping people find root causes of suffering, working to ease, reduce, or eliminate these, and helping parents to help their children feel safe, secure, connected, and loved are some of my core passions.
Areas of Specialization
Social, emotional, and mental health issues in pregnancy and parenting
Counseling, coaching, and consulting with parents about social, emotional, and developmental issues in infants, toddlers, and young children
Adoption, trauma, and healing attachment wounds
Big feelings and big behaviors in children, including tantrums, meltdowns, yelling, avoidance, refusal, and not listening
Anxiety or fear in adults and children
Highly Sensitive children and adults (and parents)
Relational trauma (struggles related to family-of-origin)
Generational trauma (unhealthy ways of interacting with family members and the impact on subsequent generations)
Trauma related to pregnancy or birth
Hyperemesis and other complications during pregnancy
Professional Trainings
I’ve trained extensively in the areas of Infant and Toddler Mental Health, Parent-Child Relationships and their Impact on Child Development, Mindfulness, Neuropsychology, Trauma, Anxiety, and How to Best Support Parents and Caregivers. Some of the people who I have trained with and/or learned the most from include: Dan Siegel, Bruce Perry, Bessel van der Kolk, Peter Levine, Stephen Porges, Deb Dana, Jack Kornfield, Kristin Neff, Shauna Shapiro, Richard Schwartz, Sue Johnson, and Tara Brach.
Experience
I’ve been working with children and families as a therapist since 2006. I began in community mental health and have worked in pediatric, foster care, agency, and public school settings. I opened my private practice in 2014. In 2016, after working with children and families for over a decade, I began working solely with parents. Since having my daughter in 2021, I have expanded my practice to include helping women and their families with issues related to pregnancy and birth.
Education
I’ve completed a Bachelor of Arts in liberal studies from Northern Arizona University, a Master in Counseling from Arizona State University, and a Doctorate in Educational Psychology from Arizona State University. I wrote my dissertation on the impact of early life experiences on people throughout the course of their lives.
Personal
I live in Phoenix with my husband, our daughter, and our rescue pup, Lily. Outside of work, I love spending time with my family, practicing yoga, exploring this amazing planet, and learning new things.
Daily practice of yoga and meditation has been a cornerstone of my life since I was 18. After practicing for many years, I became a yoga teacher in 2012. I have taught ongoing yoga classes, workshops, and mommy-and-me yoga classes for toddlers and young children. I recently became certified to teach prenatal and postnatal yoga.