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Specialty Areas:

*Life Transitions: 

Change is challenging for many of us.  While transitions are needed, and sometimes very much wanted, getting through them is not always the smooth sailing we'd like.  Life transitions can include a variety of circumstances but may involve things such as surviving adolescence/young adulthood, marrying/having children, job changes, moving, and retirement. I assist people with making the road a little less bumpy and help them to find the joy in the journey, despite the obstacles it may present. 


* Self-Esteem/Self-Worth:

Many of us are told to "be confident" and to love ourselves.  We are told this by our families, our friends, our cultures, and our larger society.  So how is it with all these positive messages about ourselves are many of us struggling with an internal nasty voice we can't get past?  I work with people to find a more collaborative relationship with our internal judgment.  As much as we don't like the monster, it is a part of ourselves we can learn how to adapt to.   Self-esteem/self-worth are not "one and done" goals we reach.  They are choices we have the freedom to make every moment once we learn how to empower ourselves to make that choice. 

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* Identity Concerns:

Figuring out who we are is a journey many of us take our entire lives. It's a journey filled with excitement, opportunity, obstacles, and challenges.  For some of us, this journey is complicated by the bodies we're born in, the lessons we're taught/forced to believe, the people who bring us joy and desires of love, the families we are surrounded by, the places we live, the messages media and society spread, and so much more.  Discovering our "true self" is an emotionally empowering experience and learning how to assert this with ourselves, others, and the world is something I am highly passionate about.  We deserve to experience the time we have living in our "true self" and being able to find comfort in this. 


* Grief/Loss:

Loss is an experience all of us go through at some point.  Whether it's due to an ending of a period of time, the termination of a relationship/job, or the death of someone in our lives.  Loss, and the grief that accompanies it, is not a process we move past.  It's an experience we endure for the rest of our lives. This experience can alter and shift with time, but allowing grief/loss to exist is something many of us have not been trained to do. We don't know how to allow grief/loss flexibility.  We don't know how to embrace grief/loss encompasses all human emotions.  We don't know how to empower ourselves to recognize our experience of grief/loss is our right NOT our weakness.  I have endured many losses which have knocked me down, and sometimes still do.  I focus on allowing these moments to happen and find appreciation in them and I welcome the opportunity to help others learn how being knocked down is not a weakness but a strength. 


* Mood Concerns:

The simplest way to define "mood" is to say it's a synonym for "emotion".  While there are many emotional words in any language; the top ones we base life on are happy, sad, angry, and anxious.  While most of us know emotions are part of human package, many of us have been taught emotions are something to "control" and have everything to do with WILLPOWER.  I assist people with debunking this stereotype and learning emotions are part of the beauty AND the pain of being human. They are parts of ourselves to assist in managing our responses to life and each deserve to be allowed "in the driver's seat" from time-to-time, no matter how much we like or don't like them.  Trying to act like we don't have each of them only leave us feeling "meh" and not experiencing all of life.  For many of us it's time to make friends with all our emotions and find the gratitude for each.  

* Navigating DD/ID:

Developmental Disabilities (DD) and Intellectual Disabilities (ID) are areas in which I have much experience in.  Between the 5 years working within the DD/ID field (both as a resource coordinator and someone who evaluated eligibility for this system) and the 5 years working in community mental health with adults impacted by mental health diagnoses and DD/ID concerns, I have an understanding of these and feel comfortable navigating them and how they impact individuals and their families. While I DO NOT provide formal assessments of these conditions, I can work with folks questioning diagnoses such as Autism, ADHD, and Sensory Integration issues and assist with determining whether their symptoms are suggestive of these things and provide resources if formal testing is desired.  I can also work with people already diagnosed with these conditions and focus on skills to adapt.  I also provide support to family or loved ones of someone impacted by DD/ID and provide ways to help honor the intensity of this experience while finding a better balance for themselves. 
 

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