I’ve had a life-long fascination with the inner workings of psychology, awareness, and meaning-making. Initially, this fascination found a home in my love of literature which explores the human experience through storytelling and symbolism. As an undergraduate, I felt sure that I was on my way to becoming an English professor but then a close friend asked if I would support her through the labor and birth of her first child and after that rich, raw, and awe-inspiring experience, I was captivated by birth’s transformative nature. I decided to become a doula and went on to complete three years of midwifery training before coming to the realization that I was less interested in the medical side of birth and significantly more interested in the emotional and psychological aspects. That’s when I decided to pursue a graduate degree in counseling psychology and began learning how to sit with a person, how to listen closely, how to establish a connection of safety and trust, how to welcome whatever bubbles up, how to spark insight and perspective, how to elicit inherent strengths and wisdom, and how to wrestle with troubles until they reveal their secret gifts. Since completing my master’s degree in 2008, I’ve been working in private practice as both a counselor and a doula, and I love the rich and rewarding balance that these two careers bring to my life.

The Basics

2008-Present: Counselor (Private Practice)
2011-2020:  Faculty at Birthingway College of Midwifery (Doula Trainer & Perinatal Psychology Teacher)
2005-2008: Masters Degree in Marriage & Family Therapy, Northcentral University
2003-2005: Two-Year Certificate in Process-Oriented Psychology, Process Work Institute
2000-2003: Midwifery Program, Birthingway College of Midwifery
1999-Present:  Birth Doula (Private Practice & Birth First Doulas)
1999: Birth Doula Certification, Birthingway College of Midwifery