Education and Credentials

Master of Arts in Counseling Psychology
Lewis and Clark College
Portland, OR

Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
University of Washington
Seattle, WA

  • Title 26 Family Law Guardian ad Litem Certification
  • WA State ESA Certificate in School Counseling
  • WA State Licensed Mental Health Counselor
  • Child Mental Health Specialist
  • Member of AFCC and WA-AFCC

Summary of Qualifications

  • Experience investigating and addressing parenting issues
  • Information-driven approach to parenting plans that are in the best interest of children
  • Fifteen years of counseling experience with individuals, couples, and families
  • Extensive experience working with families in conflict
  • Expertise teaching parenting skills/structure
  • Knowledge of family systems and understanding of clients within social context
  • Demonstrated social service skill in a variety of settings
  • Experience with risk assessment and safety plans for children and adolescents
  • Effective group counseling skills
  • Experience working with diverse ethnic and socioeconomic populations

Attend ongoing trainings through AFCC and the King Co Bar Association. Some of these include trainings on Parenting Coordination, Collaborative Divorce, Parenting Plans and Evaluations, Ethics, and Relocation Issues.

Over 300 hours of continuing education in the therapeutic field. Examples include training in Post-Traumatic Stress Disorders, Anxiety Disorders, Evidence-Based Treatment for Depression, Pychopharmacology, Emerging Research in Bipolar Disorder, Neuroplasticity in the Brain, Attachment Research, Couples Therapy, Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction, Personality Disorders, Risk Assessment for Suicidality and Homicidality, Domestic Violence Screening and Treatment Approaches, Substance Use Disorders Assessment, and Best Practices in Family Therapy.

Professional Experience

Therapist in Private Practice- current

Therapist at Samaritan Center of Puget Sound
2007 – 2015

  • Providing therapy to individuals, couples, and families
  • Teaching parenting skills and creating consistentcy and structure
  • Special focus on struggling adolescents and parents in conflict
  • Aiding clients in understanding and coping with anxiety disorders
  • Providing a framework for understanding how families of origin affect clients today
  • Helping clients through life changes, including transitioning to adulthood, coping with divorce, and helping children deal with divorce
  • Helping clients through grief and loss

 

School Counselor at Helen Keller Elementary, Lake Washington School District
2005- 2007

  • Taught problem solving and anti-bullying curriculum to K-6 classes: Went into each classroom and taught developmentally appropriate lessons on how to recognize, react to, and report bullying. Trained students to put this into action in areas where adults were less prevalent: playground, lunchroom, hallways. Helped struggling students learn to “victim-proof” themselves.
  • Participated in Guidance Team Meetings to maximize the success of struggling and/or special needs students. This included helping ensure IEPs and 504 plans were carried out for those students whose learning disabilities or emotional difficulties required this. It also included helping teachers come up with the best ways to understand and motivate struggling students.
  • Led groups on topics such as friendship skills, anger management, and divorce.
  • Developed behavior plans and positive reinforcement programs.
  • Implemented a school-wide Peace Coach program. This involved a 5-day student training in helping recognize social problems and coach peers how to solve them peacefully.
  • Provided frequent parent communication and support via meetings, phone calls, emails, and daily or weekly behavior reports home.
  • Ongoing professional collaboration with school counselors, teachers, and administrators.

 

School Counseling Intern at Meany Middle School, Seattle Public Schools
2003- 2004

  • Created and taught lessons to students on topics such as bullying and embracing diversity.
  • Ran successful peer mediation program. Trained middle school students how to resolve problems peacefully, and how to coach their peers to do so. Supervised over 30 peer-to-peer verbal resolutions.
  • Participated in scheduling and academic monitoring. Assisted school counselors in creating and trouble-shooting student schedules. Helped find solutions when a student was not successful in a class.
  • Facilitated adolescent groups on topics such as body image, positive female thinking, and grief and loss.
  • Weekly team participation and consultation with students, teacher, parents, and administrators to increase motivation, remove barriers, and increase success.
  • Attended to daily crisis situations and provided conflict resolution.

 

School-based Counselor for Sound Mental Health
2000- 2005

Role: Counselor in elementary, middle, and high school classrooms for students with
emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD programs)

  • Provided counseling and case management to struggling children and adolescents
  • Facilitated counseling groups on a wide range of topics such as coping skills, anger management, grief and loss, and divorce.
  • Assessed client safety on a regular basis in individual counseling and in collaboration with teachers, parents, and other involved agencies.
  • Collaborated with students, families, schools, and social service agencies to create wraparound support.
  • Successfully taught classroom lessons to challenging audiences. Maintained attention with structure and relatable examples, while holding students to behavioral expectations.
  • Acted as liaison between school, parents, and outside agencies by communicating regularly regarding how the student was doing and different ways to meet each student’s unique needs.

 

Counseling Intern at the Counseling Center of Vancouver, WA
1999-2000

Role: Counselor for children, adolescents, and adults

  • Provided individual, couples, and family counseling
  • Addressed substance abuse issues
  • Advocated for high-needs clients, connecting them to resources such as Veteran’s Services, Mental Health Hospitals, and support groups
  • Collaborated with other social service agencies