I have treated people of many age groups, socioeconomic levels, spiritual beliefs, ethnicities and nationalities. I constantly strive to learn more about people who are different from me so I can help them more effectively. What I also know is that many things about us all are the same. I treat human beings of all kinds who are hurting.
My treatment style is primarily conversational and casual. I use a mix of therapeutic techniques to help my clients. I teach a lot of coping techniques to manage anxiety and depression in particular. I'm currently in training for certification in EMDR which is a treatment helpful for many issues, but most importantly for trauma.
I am a married cisgender heterosexual woman with a teenage son, an ill-behaved dog and two cats. I love old music, old movies, documentaries, cooking and I love the powder white sand and beautiful blue green water of our beaches. I am originally from St. Louis, Missouri butI have lived in Florida for over 30 years. I love living in paradise. People, their cultures, their religions and their traditions have been a fascination throughout my life.
I completed my bachelor's degree in interdisciplinary social sciences in 2006 when I was 29 and my master's degree in social work in 2009 when I was 32, both at the University of South Florida.
I have been a waitress, worked a couple of jobs at the Orlando Sentinel, have been a technical writer, a mortgage loan processor, a personal assistant to two businessmen with multiple businesses in Tampa, an executive assistant to the director of a financial corporation's internal call center, a case manager at Northside Mental Health, a social worker for the Huntington's Disease Center of Excellence at USF's College of Medicine, a therapist to children in foster care, a foster home recruiter, a hospice social worker to patients living in mansions and patients living under bridges or in their cars and I have been private practitioner treating children and adults for 12 years. My life experience before becoming a social worker has made me a well-rounded practitioner who is better able to serve people of different walks of life.
I provide individual therapy to adults and children ages 7 and up. I treat people with depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, PTSD, occupational problems, relationship problems, trauma (abuse, rape, accident victims or survivors), children or adult children of addicts or narcissists, autism, people in unconventional romantic or sexual relationships, LGBTQIA+ related issues, divorcing or divorced people, veterans, men's issues, women's issues, chronic illnesses, medical trauma and more.
I do not provide couples' counseling. Issues I do not treat include active substance abuse or people who are newly sober or clean; children and teens with significant defiance issues or diagnoses of oppositional defiant disorder or reactive attachment disorder and delusional disorders such as schizophrenia. I also do not treat anyone who is actively transitioning genders as it requires specialized training I do not have.
How much do your services cost?
My cash rate is very competitive at $85 per session.
I accept many EAPs or employee assistance programs, including ComPsych, Resources for Living, Magellan, Mutual of Omaha and LifeWorks.
I accept many insurance plans including Evernorth, Aetna, Humana and Tricare. I can verify your copay before we meet.
Can I see you in-person or do you do virtual sessions?
I can see you either way. I use a HIPPA compliant platform called Doxy for video sessions and in some cases i can offer phone sessions too.
Do you provide paperwork for Social Security Disability, short term disability or letters for an emotional support animal?
No.
I'm going through a divorce and I'm bringing my child for therapy. Will you appear in court to testify about my child's mental health and relationship with me or his/her other parent?
I will not willingly show up to court because I do not want to work as an interrogator on a fact-finding mission. If seeing me means that child might make one parent angry, or might reduce the amount of time that child gets to spend with one parent, that child is not going to feel safe, thus defeating the purpose of therapy.
If a child reports something to me about a parent, another adult or anyone else that I am required to report as a mandated State reporter, I will take the steps necessary to maintain that child's safety. The outcome of that report will be provided by the State and can be used in court. I ask that both parents refrain from talking to me about the issues in their marriage beyond anything that directly affects the child.
How much do your services cost?
My cash rate is very competitive at $85 per session.
I accept many EAPs or employee assistance programs, including ComPsych, Resources for Living, Magellan, Mutual of Omaha and LifeWorks.
I accept many insurance plans including United, Blue Cross, Evernorth or Cigna, Aetna, and Tricare. I can verify your copay before we meet.
Can I see you in-person or do you do virtual sessions?
I can see you either way. I use a HIPPA compliant portal provided by my software company for video sessions and in some cases i can offer phone sessions too. I rent an office on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturday.
Do you provide paperwork for Social Security Disability, short term disability or letters for an emotional support animal?
No.
I'm going through a divorce and I'm bringing my child for therapy. Will you appear in court to testify about my child's mental health and relationship with me or his/her other parent?
I do not treat children for this purpose. My position in a child's life is not to be a fact-finder or interrogator. If seeing me means that child might make one parent angry, or might reduce the amount of time that child gets to spend with one parent, that child is not going to feel safe, thus defeating the purpose of therapy.