Getting to know your provider
Bringing the light into darkness
The Path to Becoming a Therapist
Prior to becoming a therapist, I was an elementary teacher in the Kansas City area for 15 years. Working with youth was a passion of mine, and I truly enjoyed the unique perspective they had on the world. Each year was a new challenge and a new set of personalities to get to know. I loved it!
During the 2016-2017 school year, I realized I wanted a change. While I enjoyed teaching, it was the conversations with my students about things like character development, accepting self, and appreciating your emotions that mattered to me more than the lessons about long division. After that school year, I left teaching and enrolled in the counseling program at the University of Missouri - Kansas City. I knew I still wanted youth to be a part of my practice, so I chose an emphasis in Couple and Family Counseling so that I could be equipped to work with the family system.
After graduating in May of 2020, I worked as a therapist in a residential facility for teens before joining a practice that focused on trauma work. I worked with a fantastic group of therapists, providing care for many diverse people, adults and youth alike. While I still have my passion for working with youth, I truly enjoy meeting with all ages. In particular, I enjoy meeting with others in the LGBTQIA+ community and being able to help there. I also have found that I enjoy meeting with parents and helping them find new ways to connect effectively with their children.
After moving to the Peoria area in March of 2025, I knew it was time to start my own practice. Thus, Fireside Counseling was born!
My Approach to Therapy
First and foremost, I approach my clients with validation and understanding. Too many times, we move to the “shoulds” and “shouldn’ts” in our lives, and we beat ourselves up for not being able to maintain those standards for self. I want to meet you where you are TODAY and help you understand the “why” of where you are now.
While I use a variety of therapy styles, the main ones that inform my practice are Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), and Narrative Therapy. From ACT, I enjoy doing values work with my clients and helping them reach their goals of committing to those values. In DBT, I enjoy teaching specific skills that will help my clients with challenges like emotional regulation and distress tolerance. With Narrative Therapy, I enjoy utilizing metaphors and narrative elements to help my clients author a life story of their choice. Beyond these, I also also trained in EMDR and other trauma-related therapy styles.
I also believe in bringing more of my “self” and my life experiences into the therapy room with my clients. When I encounter something that leaves an emotional impact on me, I feel it can be beneficial to bring it up in a session as well. Much in the vein of Narrative Therapy, I believe that the stories in movies and shows, artwork and songs, can impact us, so it’s not out of the ordinary for me to bring up Finding Nemo or Inside Out in a session!
More about Me (beyond being a Therapist)
I am an avid Lego fan, and you will find many examples of such in my office
I love animated movies and have an extensive knowledge of Disney songs
I love to cook and bake, and my personal specialties are pies and scones
I am newly transplanted to Peoria and have already fallen in love with it. Be sure to tell me some of your favorite things to do in the area!
I live with my husband (who is also a therapist) and our adorable little black cat Falina