There is now a trend toward integrating behavioral and physical health. It is critical to assess an individual as “whole person” to include physical health, mental health, and social dynamics. I believe in not only treating symptoms, but also evaluating and treating everyone as a unique individual. My passion is to provide the highest quality health care that promotes empowerment, enhances wellness, and strengthens our community. I work mindfully with other professionals in the community to provide the most comprehensive care for my clients and families. I collaborate with primary care clinicians, specialists, dieticians, alternative health providers, and other professionals in the area to support your total health and wellness. I started my career in mental health, working on acute inpatient units. This was my passion upon graduating, where I graduated Magna Cum Laude from Eastern Kentucky University. I have over 10 years experience working in the behavioral and medical fields. I have worked in emergency and trauma care. Transitioning to the acute medical field was based on a desire to have well-rounded experience in both mental health and psychical health, as I think they should be treated as one. I take a holistic approach in developing treatment plans through evaluation, diagnosis, and medication management. More importantly, I teach, prevent and empower individuals to take an active role in their own health. I use evidence based treatments. Medications are used in conjunction with therapy as the catalyst for growth, with a focus on prescribing, reducing the use of substances that can increase addiction, and customizing a pharmacological plan specific to the unique needs of the individual. Personally, I have specialized over the past two years, with children and adolescents. If we can address the needs of our youth at and promote early intervention, we can strengthen our future community. I also understand the military population after having spent 27 years as military wife. I have raised two amazing young men and understand the stressors that military life can have on families. I am committed to serving the community and helping to make it strong and healthy. On my days off, I like to practice what I educate my clients on. Hobbies, diet,, sleep hygiene, and exercise are vital to mental and physical health. Hiking is my most enjoyable hobby. I will get out on the local trails during sunshine, rain, or snow. I am very deliberate in cultivating self-care through a good diet and sleep routine. I enjoy spending quality time with my family. In my free time during the warm season, you will find me out backpacking or attending a community event/activity. In the winter season, you will find me on the ski slopes.

I am passionate about empowering others to achieve their goals and enhance their quality of life. I understand you are the expert of your own experience, and my goal is to offer you the support you need. Changes and challenges in life can be difficult to navigate but as human beings, we are incredibly resilient. I aim to offer you a safe, comfortable environment to share your thoughts, worries and hurts, as well as your successes and achievements. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker, I draw on systems theory in practice, which highlights the importance of the individual, along with their support system and community in healing. I have six years of experience working with children, adolescents and families, specializing in complex trauma and abuse. I also have experience working with military families and persons involved in the justice system. My treatment specializations are in play therapy, client-centered and psychodynamic therapies, and Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT). I am also experienced in treating depressive and bipolar disorders. I have served as a clinician, school social worker, with a focus on special education, and in community program management. I believe in the importance of working as a team and take a collaborative, individualized approach to counseling. Together, we will focus on your strengths and how to build upon them.

It is an honor to be part of the ViewPoints’ team that shares my values around integrated, person-centered care with a team-based approach. I was born and raised in Montana but have lived in the Pikes Peak region since 1987. The mountains and flowing streams are my healing space. I currently live in Teller County and have 2 grown sons. I have been active in the nursing profession for over 32 years in various healthcare settings including women’s health, home care and hospice, inpatient and outpatient mental health and substance use, public health, health coaching, and others. I consider the work I do as a calling and the opportunity to apply Florence Nightingale’s art of caring in practice. From early on in my career, the importance of incorporating a focus on the whole person and all the different influences that impact our lives has been what I have strived for. About 5 years ago, I was impressed to further pursue my passion around mental health care which was primarily driven by the gap in psychiatric services available, especially in the rural Colorado mountains where I live. That started my journey towards obtaining my PMHNP degree from the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, so I could be part of the solution to fill that gap. Along the way, my vision and philosophy expanded even more to also addressing the social influences on our health, cultural humility, and the impact of trauma in our lives. The importance of a wellness and recovery mindset to addressing the challenges we face was better defined for me. Assisting others in identifying their own hope, values, goals, resiliency, and empowerment is my aim. I coined my own practice philosophy as ‘integrated connectivity’. We are often disconnected in our current society and I feel that incorporating the development of meaningful connections for an individual should be a key part of my practice. Modeling mindfulness and practicing with intension I believe will assist us all in our journey of self-discovery and wellness.

My therapeutic approach is collaborative, insight oriented, and considers the impact of socialization on how you understand your identity. My treatment methodology and techniques are grounded in the fit between you and I, client and therapist. By co-constructing this empathic and accepting space, we can work together to explore past and present concerns. The interventions, duration of treatment, and outcome is different for everyone. I believe change is rooted in relationships and identifying patterns that inhibit one from living a fulfilled life. Through an examination of these patterns, I can help you develop alternative and more adaptive ways to manage stressors, connect genuinely with others, and enact meaningful advances in your life. In addition to providing counseling, I also offer clinical assessment for individuals. I have offered clinical services in a number of settings including: university counseling centers, integrated medical settings, community mental health centers, and long-term care facilities. My current clinical interests include concerns related to men and masculinities; the lived experience of marginalized peoples; mood and anxiety disorders; relationship / family concerns; grief / loss; trauma; chronic pain and health psychology. I am a licensed psychologist in the state of Colorado. My Bachelor’s degree in Gender and Women’s Studies is from Knox College. I hold a Master’s of Education (M.Ed.) from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in Student Development and Pupil Services with an emphasis in Social Justice. My Doctor of Psychology (Psy.D.) is from the California School of Professional Psychology San Francisco at Alliant University. In my spare time, I enjoy travel, cycling, and spending time with my family.

I use a Multi-Theoretical Approach to therapy, which means I may use bits and pieces of several different theoretical models in order to tailor sessions to meet your needs and help you reach your goals in a way that is most effective for you. Some of these theories include, but are not limited to, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Narrative Therapy, Multi-Systemic Therapy, and Depth Perspective. I use a strengths-based approach which means we’ll address the things causing you pain, suffering, uncertainty, and stress by using your strongest qualities, while also building other skills to help support you long-term. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Colorado and a National Certified Counselor. I hold Master of Arts degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Regis University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology from Xavier University. I have experience in child development, with delinquent adolescents, adult clients suffering from varying psychological disorders, veterans suffering from PTSD, and outpatient substance abuse treatment. My professional interests include continuing education, working with trauma, substance abuse treatment, animal- assisted therapy, and mind-body work. In my free time, I enjoy everything Colorado has to offer! In the warmer seasons I enjoy hiking with my dogs, gardening, and camping; and in the colder seasons I enjoying skiing and watching the Cincinnati Bengals lose football games. I am currently training my English Labrador, Ellie, in animal-assisted therapy so you may get to meet and utilize her in session beginning 2020.

Individuals seek help after attempting to solve problems on their own, finding the results to be lacking. The recognition of a persistent struggle requires honesty to face the stressor and its impact on one’s life. In addition to a desire and willingness for change, honesty can set a foundation for personal growth. Rather than view mental health from solely an illness perspective, I believe in viewing a client’s symptoms in the context of their life, values and future goals. My perspective on human potential for change, healing and growth has developed over many years. I became a nurse over thirty years ago. I began and maintained practice in medical surgical nursing, obtaining my nursing education with a master’s degree from Pace University. Five years later, I received a second master’s degree in the specialty of psychiatric nursing. I have had the opportunity to work with a wide range of patients in psychiatric emergency rooms, inpatient units and most recently in the outpatient setting. I also taught, as a psychiatric nursing professor for over fifteen years and, desiring to incorporate more holistic interventions in working with clients, I completed a post Master’s program at UCCS, becoming a PMHNP. As a PMHNP, I look forward to exploring the best treatments for each individual. I ask that clients consider their health in terms of their medical, psychiatric, dietary, physical activity, daily schedule, economic, social/ relational and spiritual status. I advocate strongly for the utilization of an interprofessional team, while I focus specifically on how psychiatric medications can help. There are many safe and effective psychopharmacologic options that can expedite stability and health. I appreciate that the healing process is different for everyone. I have held off in working with clients in private practice for quite some time specifically because I felt I needed to have a better firsthand understanding of what it means to heal and grow. For some, that takes a while! I also step away from the serious side of life and just jump into the outdoors, hitting the trails running, biking, hiking and skiing. My husband of twenty-five years has morphed me into a football fanatic. He has, in turn, learned to love camping (kind of). We joke that we’re not sure how but are thankful to have two great young adult kids launching off into their own lives and careers. Our most recent child is a whippet who is remaining a puppy after 3 years.

I first found my love for serving others while I was active duty in the United States Army as a Bio Research Assistant at the Army Research Institute. I later became a licensed clinical social worker specializing in senior care and working with adults who experience chronic pain or have been diagnosed with a chronic medical illness that has had a significant impact on the individual and his or her family.  I also specialize in working with those who have a chronic and persistent mental illness, families, and individuals coping with acute stressful life events.  My philosophy is congruent with best clinical practices and evidence-based practice which includes optimizing the social and cognitive patterns in relation to the current stressors and previous narrative of the individual for self- transformation and to get back the quality of life everyone deserves to have.  I specialize in cognitive behavioral therapy and apply mindfulness skills to reduce acute anxiety and depression to assist the individual further in being able to resolve chronic stressors and other behavioral health domains that have had an impact on the individual. I believe it is necessary to incorporate treatment models that have shown clinical significance.  I believe in working together with the individual and his or her support system as an active part of the treatment. Together we develop a treatment that is individualized and tailored in a manner that allows the individual to participate at his or her own pace to facilitate healing, progress and transformation. I am fluent in Spanish and in my free time, I enjoy playing the guitar, tinkering with drum machines and music software, and I am currently learning to play the piano.

I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with 14 years of experience in the mental health field and am skilled in writing short and long-term certifications and vacating Mental Health Holds. I have served as a proficient psychometrician with 12 years of experience writing and administering psychological evaluations. I have broad experience in completing forensic, neuropsychological, and cognitive assessments. I have worked in schools and have participated in IEP meetings for students at alternative and public schools. Further, I have experience collaborating with teachers and school systems to create and implement behavioral and educational plans to improve a student’s performance at school. I have also provided therapeutic and psychometric services in many different settings including emergency rooms, nursing homes, state hospitals, prisons, and community mental health centers. I also have experience with preparing testimony and testifying in court. I have acted as a fact and expert witness in over 30 court cases. I moved to Colorado for my internship in 2012 and I fell in love with Colorado! In my free time I love to exercise, hike, ski, spend time with family, and watch movies. I am looking forward to working with you thanks so much!

Recognizing and understanding challenges interfering with one’s quality of life is difficult. Taking the initial step toward the path of emotional freedom is uncomfortable. Making a breakthrough in treatment sets the foundation for power, resilience and healing. In addition to private practice, I have worked in community mental health & various state and county agencies as a clinician. I received my Masters of Social Work from Newman University. I specialize in personality disorders and trauma but am well versed in working with a variety of populations. Treatment approaches integrated in my practice derive from Dialectical Behavior Therapy, Cognitive Behavior therapy, behavior modification and Psychodynamic therapy. Many people struggle in isolation due to the uncertainty related to reaching out for help. My approach to counseling stems from the belief that healing starts with connection. By placing an emphasis on person-centered and humanistic approaches, I view my clients separate from their “problem” and believe it is important for clients to drive their treatment. My approaches are practical in everyday life and unique to each individual. Therapy is not a “quick fix” but rather a process that takes time and patience. While providing comfort, support and a safe space, I am dedicated to being a continued support, so that you are not alone.   I am open to accepting clients from all walks of life and appreciate the opportunity to work alongside you in this part of your transformation toward power, resilience and healing.

It takes immense strength to reach out for support and it is an honor to hear another’s story. I specialize in working with couples and families from diverse backgrounds, facing many unique challenges. I graduated from Regis University with a Master of Arts degree in Marriage and Family Therapy, and I am currently registered as a Marriage and Family Therapist Candidate. I have experience working with veterans and their spouses, as well as families involved in the justice system. I enjoy meeting clients in a warm and empathetic manner, with a spotlight on how our attachment and need for connection can drive our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. I believe you are the expert on your life and focus on working collaboratively to ensure you meet your goals. I utilize various techniques throughout sessions and like to be creative in sessions. I have advanced training in Gottman’s couples therapy and evidence-based family therapies. In my free time enjoy music, books, and movies, as well as hanging out with my two dogs and exploring new places around Colorado. I look forward to meeting you and building a therapeutic relationship focused on your strengths!

I believe that people can enact positive change in their lives and that personal growth occurs with self-acceptance. Acceptance comes from self-exploration and an empathic relationship within counseling. I have always been drawn to serving others, and I am honored to walk with you on your journey of self-growth. I began my career serving in the United States Air Force as a behavioral scientist and public affairs officer. I have also worked inpatient psychiatry, helping clients in crisis and to gain coping skills. I obtained my master’s in counseling from UCCS and focus on person-centered counseling and humanistic-existential approaches to therapy. I also use cognitive, solution-focused, and behavioral interventions based on client needs. I have experience working with individuals, couples, and families seeking help from very diverse backgrounds, including veterans, military families, and clients with psychosis. I feel strongly that therapy should be tailored to your needs as a client as every person is unique. I think that a major therapeutic aim is to promote joy and authenticity in life, and I look forward to helping you on that path. In my personal time, I love being in nature by going hiking and other outdoor activities. I also enjoy meditating regularly, spending time with my family, and reading books on philosophy and science.