My Journey

I grew up in Kansas City and love calling it home. My undergraduate degree in education along with my love of the arts, led me to teach at an arts magnet school where I first learned about the brain's limbic system and its fight, flight, or freeze reactions. It is also there that I saw the importance of the arts for learning and well-being, While teaching, I saw a need for more mental health access for students and parents. When my sons were small, I fell in love with Montessori education and the way it considers the whole child. I went back to school for a Montessori Education masters and taught elementary students in a public Montessori school as well as a private Montessori school.   

I was able to pursue my interest in mental health at Emporia State University earning a Masters in Clinical Counseling. While I was there, I had the opportunity to work with people who were incarcerated at the county jail, learning how incarceration affects not just the person but also their families and the community. My internship at Safehome, a Johnson County domestic violence shelter, taught me about resiliency as well as the complicated nature of trauma. 

I am currently an associate with Buffalo Roam Therapy Group. I am also a contract therapist with the Olathe School District.