Who I Am
Before becoming a Counselor I joyfully was a stay-at-home mom for 17 years. During those years I led many Bible Studies and support groups at my local church and at home. Among those groups were Celebrate Recovery and Conquering Codependency which ultimately led me to pursue my Masters degree in Professional Counseling at that time of my life. I strongly felt God's calling to follow this path that brought me to becoming a Counselor, and to Bienvenu Counseling Services (BCS). I completed my Internship at BCS, came on Staff, and have served here for 20+ years.
As a counselor I have found that as people we often develop coping skills and patterns that can seem to 'work' at the time but later become dysfunctional and incompatible with our core beliefs and values. These patterns can block us from creating the life that we desire. We often have wounds and hurts from our past that can further interrupt our healing process. My desire is to create a warm, safe, accepting environment where you can overcome the negative patterns and wounds that are getting in your way. I will provide support, sensitivity, and guidance as you learn new strategies to interrupt these unwanted, repetitive patterns.
At the core of healing is the need to be heard and understood, and if you're in a close relationship…to be loved. I am so grateful to be equipped and trained to help those who struggle with issues such as anxiety, depression, dysfunctional relationships or patterns, trauma, stress, fear, low self-esteem, and others. It is an honor and a privilege to use my personal and clinical experience to walk alongside my clients in their pain and lead them to healing. I tell others that after a full day of counseling I find that I'm usually more energized and rejuvenated than when I first came in! This is my passion.
I have been married to my wonderful husband for 40+ years. We have two lovely, adult daughters and we are officially empty nesters. Along with my husband, I enjoy time with friends, the outdoors, hiking, and observing and identifying all of God's creatures in the wild. I love nothing more than a boat ride in the swamp! I'm also a dog and cat nut, and happily receive therapy from them always.
Main Areas of Specialty and Focus
• Trauma/PTSD
• Marriage/Couples Counseling and Enrichment
• Anxiety
• Codependency/Boundaries
• Depression
• Affair Recovery
• Women's issues
• Loss/Grief
Therapeutic Methods
• EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing)
• ART (Accelerated Resolution Therapy)
• EFT (Emotionally Focused Therapy for couples)
• TRT (Trauma Resolution Therapy)
• CBT (Cognitive-Behavior Therapy)
• Inner Healing
• Anxiety/Relaxation techniques
To Future Clients: "I gladly welcome clients wherever you are in your faith journey. I will provide an accepting and non-judgmental environment for those seeking help with the struggles that life brings. Hopefully I will listen carefully, respond thoughtfully, and together we will construct a plan to help you heal and grow."