About Me
I love helping people discover, grow, and heal. Always have, always will. Psychotherapy is my chosen profession and practice for this life-long passion. I work with people as they develop their identities and character through various life stages and transitions.
* * *
How Did I Get Here?
I took a unique route to becoming a psychotherapist.
For as long as I can remember, I have been fascinated by our minds, our emotions, our behaviors, our relationships, our suffering, but most of all—our healing and hope. I have always wondered about all the things that make us who we are. Much of that wonder emanates from my diverse life experiences. Even more of that wonder was uncovered in my own psychotherapy.
Before making psychological healing my profession, I had careers were in law and business. And while the words Juris Doctor, Attorney and Counselor at Law had often appeared after my name, I derived the most satisfaction in one of these designations above the others—Counselor. The intellectual challenges of law and the success of business were present. But it was always the matters of the heart and soul—those of my own and others—that brought me the most joy and meaning. Before these professional endeavors, I pursued my interests in people and their identities academically.
In college, I pursued a double major in psychology and criminal justice and learned a lot about what makes us tick. I dreamt of becoming a psychotherapist and considered pursuing a graduate degree upon graduation. No one else in my family had pursued a doctorate degree and no one else in my family had attended therapy. So I sought advice from my honors college mentors who encouraged me to attend law school. Then I did what many 20-somethings do with no footsteps to follow in: I listened to these mentors and went to law school instead. After law school and working for a judge and law firm, I wrapped up my legal career as in house counsel for a business group. While intellectually stimulating, I was unsatisfied with the fighting and greed that too often accompanies legal matters. Longing for a change, I left the legal profession to become a small business owner and operated a small restaurant group in Chicagoland. Enter the global pandemic in 2019.
The coronavirus pandemic rearranged our lives on a global, local, family, and individual scale. It brought much introspection and reevaluation to many of us, myself included. During this time I reevaluated my life and made the choice to circle back to that fork in the road in college and return to my passion of helping others in a deep and meaningful way, bringing me to where I am now: a psychotherapist.
My Therapeutic Interests
As a psychotherapist, I treat adult individuals and couples addressing issues related to stress, anxiety, depression, anger, trauma, grief, and relationship difficulties. I help people through life transitions such as career, marriage, parenting, divorce, loss, and retirement. I work with people as they develop their identities and character through various life stages and transitions. My therapeutic interests center around how our development, life experiences, development, and emotions all contribute to our behavior, our flourishing, and our suffering.
My Qualifications
I hold a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Criminal Justice with High Honors from the University of Illinois at Chicago, a Juris Doctor from Chicago-Kent College of Law, and a Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Townsend Institute for Leadership and Counseling at Concordia University Irvine. I am licensed in Illinois as a Licensed Professional Counselor. Additionally, I have pursued additional professional certifications in anxiety, trauma, and couples therapy. I am a Certified Trauma Professional, Certified Anxiety Professional, and a Gottman Method Level 1 Certified Couples Therapist.
https://cdn.pesi23.com/images/2zkuc_g5he6t0mk7ka8i9w.png
https://cdn.pesi23.com/images/ujhcxicrtkeypwcq4_ndmw.png
To see my full qualifications, view my curriculum vitae here
To learn about my approach to therapy, click here