My Story

I am the happy product of a well-meaning (though sometimes misguided) fundamentalist Christianity, a single mother, and an imagination baptized by the likes of J. R. R. Tolkien and C. S. Lewis. It has been reported that since I was very young I have shown deep curiosity and a desire to "get to the bottom of things." This has since led me to read widely and hungrily from many philosophical and spiritual traditions though I have ultimately made Christianity my home. I have known the social shame of having little money (though we always had enough, thanks to my mother and to a kind and loving God), and the alienation and self-doubt from having been unpopular and bullied in school. 

 

Having been raised in Jacksonville, FL, I attended a small Bible Institute, both in Florida for one year and then at a second campus in upstate New York the following year. After an internship with that same school I moved back to Jacksonville where I remained for several more years as I used my twenties to gain as much experience as I could, working at Chick Fil A, substitute teaching, making coffee at Starbucks, and running a book selling business on Amazon. Eventually it became clear to me that my path forward lay in a seminary education and so I attended Reformed Theological Seminary (RTS). There I obtained a Master's of Divinity (while also working in church ministry, primarily with students). I realized as I was working through that program that I also had a strong desire to grow in my competence for emotional and soul care, and thus elected to also pursue a Master of Arts in Counseling from RTS which I completed in 2023. I now work full-time as the School Counselor for the Ecclesial Schools Initiative and see clients privately at Florida Counseling Foundation. 

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As I have gained experience both in Christian ministry and in mental health counseling, I have come to believe that there is no "magic bullet" for wholeness. But I believe that through rigorous honesty, kindness, and guided self-reflection, the path to healing might be illuminated for an individual in the context of a trusted relationship - such as one can find with a mental health counselor. Ultimately, I agree with  poet Cyril Tourner: "Joy is a subtle elf; I think one's happiest when he forgets himself.” We are most at peace when we are able to forget our "self" and to vulnerably offer that self to our fellow man. And so together I hope we might offer curiosity towards your story, gentle renegotiation of unwanted behaviors and thoughts, all to the end of true freedom and self-forgetfulness. I would be honored to serve you!