Sisu Balanced Healing
About me
I have been working in the social service field for 15 years in various roles. I began my career working with teenagers in a residential setting, moved to working in privatized foster care case management for a couple of years before settling into my clinical roots. I spent 8 years working in a substance use disorder rehabilitation program. My first role was working as a therapist in the Family Treatment Court program before moving into the role of Clinical Supervisor. A couple of years ago I realized how much I missed practicing clinical work with individuals and chose to make a change and start in private practice.
I am currently licensed in the states of Missouri and Virginia.
Specialties
Grief and trauma are two of my focus areas in practice. I believe that grief is a normal expression of loss and seeking that culturally we have rushed expectations of. Trauma can be big or "small" things that have happened in our lives that cause long lasting discomfort.
I am knowledgable with more complex mental health diagnoses (schizophrenia, schizoaffective, etc.) and work in a way that validates what is being experienced while also normalizing the symptoms.
I have years of experience and expertise within substance use disorders and women's issues (postpartum, pregnancy, pregnancy loss, relationships, etc.). I also have a deep understanding and passion for working with family members of first responders.
I believe that healing modalities should match what feels meaningful to my clients. I like to think outside of the box and find what works for them. I frequently utilize EMDR within my practice. I have been trained in EMDR and have gone through the certification training as well. I also believe education and proper diagnoses is crucial. We can get labels put on us and have no idea what they mean or find they are not correct.
My overall focus is my clients long term health and wellbeing. I place a huge emphasis on person in environment and want to understand where my clients are with their physical health, nutrition, family, friends, and home environment.
Me
Outside of my professional life I'm a pretty normal person. I have been married for over a decade to my bestie and we have two children and two dogs (as well as two cats but they seem more like roommates). My husband is a first responder and in the Army Reserve...I completely understand the family life part of both of these roles.
In my free time I love doing just about anything outdoors as long as it's not blazingly hot out. I love rucking with the dogs, rock climbing (when I get the chance!), biking, and being anywhere near a lake. We also, as a family, love playing video games and watching movies.