My official title may be “relationship therapist,” but I like to think of it this way: it’s my job to hold hope. For you. For your relationship. Through difficult life seasons and in the toughest of moments. Because hope can create space for change and get a those long stuck places within ourselves and our relationships moving again.  

It’s also my job to be a clearer of new paths. You likely find yourself caught in the same patterns in your relationships and in your life. Together, we’ll identify the stuck and hurt places as the first step on the path to new ways of thinking, and doing that can usher in the changes you’d like to see. And we’ll work through your challenges with the help of a healthy dose of humor.

My training, work and personal experiences have shown me that change is facilitated through attunement to and relentless empathy for you. With trust and safety established between us, I can challenge you where you need to be challenged, and help you identify and move through those blocks to the changes you desire.

From more than five decades on the planet and after many therapy sessions with a diversity of people, there is little that shocks me, and there’s no topic that’s off-limits during therapy. In addition to my professional training, I am informed by my own experiences, a few of which include of living abroad, divorce, remarriage into a growing blended family that now includes grandchildren, parenting my two teens, my own adoption, and surviving cancer.

Like you, I’ve had my own challenges and understand first-hand that everyone goes through difficult seasons in in life and needs help once in a while. I am here to help you.

My practice is LGBTQIA affirming.

“My Mantra: We’re in this together”

 

 

If you’ve never gone through therapy before, you’ll learn that couples or individual counseling is a process—but on the other side of that process can be a deeper, more intimate connection with your partner and yourself.

If you have prior experience in therapy, you’ll find that my approach is to create a supportive space for you to be vulnerable, recognized and heard. My clients often describe me as warm, welcoming, nonjudgmental, direct, and funny. Together, we explore your challenges and hopes, and chart a path toward the changes you’d like to see.

Above all, I love the work that I do and am consistently amazed by the transformations I witness in my clients.

A few specifics:

I have a master’s degree in Marriage and Family Therapy from St. Mary’s University, and am licensed by the states of Minnesota and Iowa as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (LMFT). I am certified by the International Association as a Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist. As part of my ongoing commitment to professional development, I am a member of the Minnesota Association for Marriage and Family Therapy, as well as the International Center for Excellence in Emotionally Focused Therapy, and attend a variety of trainings to keep my skills and knowledge current.