I began my journey to being a therapist while I was on staff at a church, where I served to oversee the community care ministries there. In this capacity, I found myself falling more and more in the role of a counselor, working with parishioners through various life issues. When it was time to go back to school to begin my graduate work, I decided to forego my plans of obtaining a theological degree, and instead chose to pursue a degree in Marriage and Family Therapy. Though I still have a great love for theology, I have found walking alongside others as a therapist to be my true life’s calling.
Before I had even started with the church, I had already gained a strong respect for the therapeutic process, having struggled in my own life and finding that having a therapist was immensely helpful to me on my own life journey. My own experiences, coupled with the work I was doing in the church, had taught me about the nature of life and the various ways in which people suffer. This time in the church also taught me about how people grow through that suffering, and I decided that helping others to navigate these difficulties would become my life’s work. Since embarking on this path, I have had the profound pleasure and privilege of working alongside a great many diverse people through myriad issues and problems. Although I was the one doing the helping, I found that each of these encounters have impacted me in profound and unforeseen ways, and have helped me to become the person that I am today, for which I am very thankful. There is something I find very sacred in this.
As far as my approach to therapy, I begin with the singular foundation that all human life, regardless of circumstance, is of infinite value, and that every life is inherently meaningful. Everything else hinges on that conviction. Closely related to this, is my view of the whole human person. Guided by my studies of theology, philosophy, and psychology, I have come to see that the "whole person" consists of body, mind, and spirit, which cannot be separated from one another. The greatest of these aspects, and the one that unifies the three, is the spirit. Indeed, it is our human spirit that enables us to overcome even the greatest challenges in life, and to move toward a place of transcending beyond the limiting situations we may find ourselves in. My goal is to help my clients, no matter where their starting point, to find meaning and purpose in their lives, and to grow through present suffering and hardship in a way that allows them to live fully and and to express themselves authentically.
In my practice of therapy, I utilize a combination of approaches, including existential, attachment, and cognitive based modalities. My background in theology and philosophy also enables me to utilize a spiritually integrated approach to therapy, to the extent desired by my clients. I am a Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP), and have experience working with those suffering from anxiety, depression, PTSD, addictions, personality disorders, unresolved grief and loss, as well as experience working with conflicted couples and families.
Professional Credentials and Memberships
- Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist CA# LMFT124242 AL#L596
- Certified Clinical Trauma Professional (CCTP)
- M.A. Marriage & Family Therapy - Hope International University, Fullerton, CA - 2015
- B.S. Christian Ministry - Hope International University, Fullerton, CA - 2012
- VFIL - Viktor Frankl Institute of Logotherapy
- CAMFT - California Association of Marriage & Family Therapists
- AAMFT - American Association for Marriage & Family therapy - Clinical Fellow
- IAMFC - International Association of Marriage & Family Counselors
- Delta Kappa International Marriage & Family Therapy Honor Society
- Knofel Staton Christian Communication Award - Hope International University - 2015