Finding yourself here, I imagine you are searching for hope. Maybe you are looking for someone who can listen and offer compassion and understanding to help you sort things out. Maybe things have gotten messy or overwhelming. Maybe old ghosts keep rap-tap-tapping at the door. Maybe you don't know if you can hold on any longer. 

 

I've been in the helping profession since 2001 and practicing as a psychotherapist since 2005. Growing up in Alabama, I worked as a children's minister when I was an undergraduate student in psychology. While I have long since left that paradigm behind, I've come to understand that I am a therapist for many of the same reasons I worked in the church. It comes down to compassion, meaning, resilience, and creating a life worth living. Being a therapist is a much better fit because I'm here to support you in figuring out what you believe and make sense of your experiences and background, as you walk your own healing path. 

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While I've worked in a myriad of settings (community mental health, school-based mental health, community support team, a domestic violence shelter, universities), my areas of special interest include mood and anxiety disorders, trauma and traumatic grief, PTSD, addictions, gender and orientation concerns, and spirituality. If you have lost a loved one to suicide or in a traumatic manner, I would likely be a good match for you. I've gone through this myself and know the deep grief associated with this type of loss. 

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Seeking wider and deeper healing in the aftermath of a family suicide, the winding way towards psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy has unfolded synchronistically and naturally over the last several years. I moved to Asheville, NC in 2011 and then further into the mica-rich Appalachian mountains and cove forests to feel closer to the earth.

 

I read The Ketamine Papers in 2017 and sought out my own experiences. Since then, I've completed the MAPS MDMA for PTSD Training Program (2019); engaged in a Appalachian-inspired community herbalism program (2020); and participated in KAP specific training with the Psychedelic Research and Training Institute (PRATI) in Colorado. I am currently volunteering with the WNC nonprofit, Pearl Psychedelic Institute to develop accessible training and treatment opportunities. 

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Otherwise…I love hiking, paddling, gardening, herbalism, watercolor, photography, writing… and playing with my furry, four-legged-children, Merlin, Simon, and Linus. Merlin is a blind terrier mix and both Simon & Linus are miniature Australian Shepherds.

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​Is healing possible?

YES! Healing isn’t merely suppressing symptoms, recovering from addiction and trauma or understanding dysfunctional, neurotic patterns. Depth psychologist Bill Plotkin suggests that healing is about becoming fully human – learning to embody our souls in order to become conscious contributors to the unfolding story of the more-than-human world.

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“The most effective paths to soul are nature-based. Nature — the outer nature we call ‘the wild’ — has always been the essential element and the primary setting of the journey to soul…The individual soul is the core of our human nature, the reason for which we were born, the essence of our specific life purpose, and ours alone…the gift you carry for others is not an attempt to save the world but to fully belong to it. It’s not possible to save the world by trying to save it. You need to find what is genuinely yours to offer to the world before you can make it a better place. Discovering your unique gift to bring to your community is your greatest opportunity and challenge. The offering of that gift — your true self — is the most you can do to love and serve the world. And it is all the world needs.” – Bill Plotkin in Soulcraft: Crossing into the Mysteries of Nature and Psyche.

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What helps you see beauty in the world and to be resilient in the face of challenges?

Let's figure it out together.