A human with long blonde hair, pink shirt with flowers, and black sweater smiling sitting at a table.
A long hair orange cat laying on a gray couch with red checked pillows in the background.

For those of you that are curious about the virtual “therapy” cats, this is Fenniken

 

A Bit About Me

I guess we should get it out of the way: I say bad words, sometimes I say them a lot, even during therapy *gasp*. Sorry not sorry! Sometimes a 4 letter word is the only description that gets the job done when you log onto a therapy session with me. And I like to keep it real when I agree with you that maybe today was “shitty!”. But then we’re gonna work.

I am 100% committed to your growth, with whatever that looks like for you. You’re the expert on your life and I’m just that outside perspective that hopefully brings a fresh set of eyes. Non- judgmental eyes of course. Therapy is the place where you get to let it all out and lay it on the table. I’m the person that helps you sift through the mess we dump on the table and shines a light on the diamonds I know are hiding in there.

In my personal life, I’m a mom to 3 boys. You may occasionally hear them playing ball in the house even though I promise I tell them not to. I have 3 cats and 3 chickens. We’re just going to call the cats therapeutic as you’ll probably see them walking across the screen if it’s dinner time. I suppose I could bring the chickens in the house if you really need a distraction from me asking you a tough question.

After learning all of this about me, I hope you’re ready to make that investment in you? You are?! Great, me too! I’m so excited to see your transformation…and also to share fun memes with you…and introduce you to my cats; we’ve got a lot of work to do, let’s get started!

 
A short-haired range cat laying on the back of a couch.

And this is Handsome

Now a little about you…

 

  • You’re overwhelmed, like you just can’t handle one more thing

  • You want more time for yourself to just breathe and chill!

  • You want to see the positive again instead of just being stuck in the doom and gloom

  • You want to feel confident in vocalizing your needs without constantly putting everyone else before yourself

  • You want more confidence in who you are and enjoy things again

  • You want to feel seen, heard, and valued

 
A human in an off shoulder blue shirt with multi-colored flowers holding a smiley face balloon over their own face and other balloons in the opposite hand. They are standing in front a brick wall painted with white flowers with smiley faces.

 How do I know if we’ll work well together?

I don’t and I can’t promise we will! There are a lot of great therapists out there and I like to think I happen to be one of them. But getting it right on the very first try is like walking into the shoe store and finding exactly the right shoe in your size and in the color you want. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, isn’t it magic?

The folx I’ve found that are that magical fit tend to be highly motivated for change. They recognize that hard work is what’s going to facilitate that change and are ready to take the initiative to get started. They’re sick of being stuck in the same negative patterns and know something needs to throw a wrench in the wheel for that to happen. I’ve been told I’m a great wrench…ok, maybe not in those words, but I’m great at helping clients become unstuck from the negativity.

Still not quite sure if we’d work well together? That’s cool. Please feel free to reach out anyhow and we’ll figure it out!

The boring stuff.

If the more clinical stuff interests you, I approach difficulties in life from a client-centered and cognitive behavioral standpoint. Basically, I believe that if you can change the way you think of a problem, it will change your behaviors and, in turn, your emotions about the issue. This sounds so simplistic and easy, but don’t worry, I promised you we’d be doing some work, so I’ll make sure we cry and cuss a little along the way. I utilize dialectical behavioral techniques (DBT) with a trauma informed approach when appropriate and feel that mindfulness exercises are a great aid for a variety of concerns. Additionally, we may explore family of origin issues in relation to your mental health today with IFS and attachment theory approaches.

 

Education

  • Walden University, Master’s in Mental Health Counseling

  • Park University, Bachelor’s in Social Psychology

  • Maryland License Number: LC9348

  • Certified clinical trauma specialist

    Areas of focus

  • Self-compassion and being hard on yourself

  • Anxiety and excessive worry

  • People-pleasing and being the "fixer"

  • Lack of general fulfillment and meaning

  • Perfectionism

  • Any other every day difficulties that holds you back

  • Depression or just feeling more “bleh” than you’d like

  • Identity exploration for teens and adults alike

  • Navigating transitions; from buying a house, changes in relationship status, or even moving from being a teenager into a young adult

  • LGBTQI+ affirming with clinical competence to support any potential associated challenges

  • Neurodivergent affirming

If you’re ready for that transformation, click below!