Camping and fishing in Central Oregon with my Grandpa Lowell, circa 1980
Growing Up
I grew up as a military brat in a family of artists and engineers, living in numerous places across the United States, and exploring the rugged Northwest with extended family (thank you!) many summers during the family moves. Being exposed to such a wide variety of people, culture, and terrain, I have come to value diversity, creativity, curiosity, beauty, excellence, sensibility, and wisdom in all its various forms.
Backpacking with my daughters near Frigid Air Pass (my favorite place on Earth), 2018
Family Life
I am married with three amazing daughters (artist-engineers in their own right) and two bonus sons. Most are grown and on their own but we frequently gather to eat, laugh, and adventure together.
401 Trail in Crested Butte, 2016
Discovery
I’m a seeker of novelty and wisdom, and a lifelong learner, continually pursuing and deepening my experience of new places, ideas, and people. I enjoy photography, travel, reading, creating, gardening, spontaneous gift-giving, hiking, biking, kayaking, and being in nature (“forest bathing”). I have walked many of the concerns that my clients bring to the counseling process and have had the privilege of working with many gifted therapists on my own personal journey. I believe in the process and am honored to join with anyone who wishes to begin, or continue, their own endeavor to overcome, heal, and grow.
Ponyo
As a high school counselor, I saw the need for bringing something positive, lighthearted, and healing to the school system. Ponyo made her debut as a therapy dog on the heels of two suicides in the school district where I was working. She provided an endless supply of love, compassion, and hope to those who were deeply hurting after such unimaginable loss.
She now assists me in the private arena greeting new clients in the waiting room, ushering them into a comfortable space, and inviting them to relax and tell their story. She is independent, calm, and comical and insists on working alongside me with whatever I’m doing - counseling, gardening, hiking, camping, kayaking, home projects, or napping.
My Trusted Co-Pilot
My biggest fan and relentless supporter, I could not do this work without my husband Kevin. A natural champion and catalyst, he raises the energy in any room he enters. He’s the yang to my yin and I am ever humbled by and grateful for our partnership in this life.