The story of how I became a therapist is a bit unique. As a young woman, I lost my father to cancer, which was life changing for me. I began doing volunteer work at a local hospice because it provided comfort for me in some way. In doing this work, I heard a lot of stories from those I worked with. Stories about mistakes, regrets, compassion, and an emerging understanding of the incredible beauty and value of life. These stories gave me an understanding of the enormous importance of having compassion for those we share life with, and for striving for our potential.
These experiences instilled in me a passion for helping people to realize these universal truths before they reach their own death bed. What we don’t know about the importance of relationships with others, and with ourselves, is a lot. We hear the ideas, but the challenges of life get in our way, effectively putting up a wall between our experience of life and what we’re here to do and learn.
The focus of my work is to help you take down those walls in order to see your life tasks clearly, acting on them with courage. I am motivated by what I call a spiritual framework, which can also be seen as my framework of values. It doesn’t require you to have a particular set of values, and it doesn’t require that you are religious. It only keeps my goal in working with you rooted in your healing and authenticity. Being who you are called to be, even when it’s inconvenient, is the basis for a purpose filled life. Being someone we’re not, espousing values that when uncovered are really not our own, only lead us down the road of someone else’s life. And that’s not easy to discover when you’re at the end of your own.
If you work with me, you will find that I want to know about how your life is working now, and what lead you to where you are at. I’ll gently pull back layers to discover what is your own in your life, and what others have given you. I’ll provide support and guidance in your healing, your new discoveries, and finding a new direction that feels truly your own. I won’t judge you. Life is messy and sometimes brings out our worst. Healing in order to become our best is what motivates me.
I have moved past the parenting phase of my life, and am enjoying a long-term marriage. I seem to many to be a soft-hearted, traditional woman. But those who know me will tell you I am a non-conforming person, and that I very much value authentic identities, and diverse communities, not to mention live music, genealogy, and gardening. And I do believe that for us to become who we really are, fully self-realized, with a loving heart, will give us that purpose filled life that fills us with peace.
Credentials
- Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the State of Minnesota
- M.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from the University of Wisconsin-Stout
- B.S. in Family Social Science from the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities
Associations
- Minnesota Association of Marriage and Family Therapists
