My professional career in social work and counseling began in 2014. While an undergraduate student at the University of Florida, I worked at various nonprofit organizations with at-risk and underprivileged children and families. There, I obtained a Bachelor of Arts in Religious Studies with a focus in Family, Youth, and Community Sciences and became well-versed in culture, religion, and issues impacting our globe. I began looking inward myself and asking important fundamental questions. How do we explain human suffering and injustices? How do we as humans support one another and maintain the connections that are needed to sustain us?

Once I finished my undergraduate studies in 2016, I travelled to Nakuru, Kenya and worked at Mama Helen’s Rehabilitation Center for orphaned children. It was there that I knew I wanted to pursue a career that would allow me to continue working in a capacity that nurtures the human spirit and seeks to change the issues facing our world, and thus I began studying social work at North Carolina State University in 2017. During my graduate studies, I worked as a Social Work Intern for the New Hanover County Department of Social Services. I spent one year in the Child Protective Services Department, followed by one year in the Child Welfare Services (Foster Care) Department.

When I graduated with a Master of Social Work in 2019, I began working there full time as a Child Welfare Services Social Worker where I remained until October 2021. I learned so much in these years about mental health, substance use, childhood trauma, parenting, homelessness, domestic violence, and other pressing issues affecting our community. I became a Licensed Clinical Social Work Associate in May 2021 in order to continue helping my clients pursue lasting and impactful change in their lives on a more personal and therapeutic level.

Much like life, treatment is everchanging. Each session we will work together to develop a treatment regimen that best suits your needs both in the moment and as you move forward. We will complete an initial assessment to help me better understand your basic needs. I’ll gather information from you about your background, history, family dynamics, lifestyle, culture, socioeconomic status, and current symptoms. Then, we will have a few rapport-building sessions to get to know one another as I continue assessing your needs. As we progress, we will begin developing goals for your treatment plan centered around decreasing your symptomology and bringing balance back to your life. I will also often present other resources in our community that I believe can eliminate some of the burdens you face. Each session I will use the tools, skills, and knowledge I possess to support you, push you, and guide you through what you’re facing.

I believe as a therapist it is my job to find a balance between comforting you and validating your feelings, while also challenging you and often telling you things you may not be thrilled to hear. It is my goal to make sure you feel safe and secure in treatment in addition to presenting you with alternate ways of thinking, gently coaching you through correcting any harmful behaviors, and changing your perspectives on how you perceive your reality. My process is to get to know you on an individual level, gain your trust, provide a safe and validating space for you to release your emotions, and then walk alongside you as you learn to advance in your mental health.

My approach will utilize a combination of talk therapy, cognitive behavioral therapy, solution-focused therapy, and humanistic therapy as we identify triggers, learn coping skills, and change thought patterns. We must first learn your “Why?”, meaning the primary reason you are seeking treatment, what is important to you, how we can build on your current strengths, and identifying where you want to be at the end of your mental health journey. From there we will discover together what works best for you and how I may be able to tailor my practice to better meet your individual needs. Once we meet your goals, we will discuss whether new goals can or should be created or if we are able to begin discharge and transitional planning in order to set you up to remain successful on a long-term basis.