Neurodivergence
Behavioral Issues
Child Therapy
White
Cis-Gendered Female
Straight
Dog Parent
Committed to Social Justice
St. Louis Native
Most people have heard the phrase, “it takes a village to raise a child,” for me, that was incredibly true. I was raised in a multi-generational home that supported my loud, need for movement, outspoken, creative and curious self that later came to know these traits are not always accepted by others. I was enrolled in dance and began to subconsciously learn about advocacy and equity as I began to learn basic American Sign Language at the age of three. It was this time period where my journey in understanding the power of movement and of meeting people where they are started. My love for dance/movement and supportive connection have been consistent threads through my life, even though large injuries, medical trauma, bullying, and a multitude of social transitions. I feel lucky to have found Dance/Movement Therapy and to be able to offer these values in a more refined way to clients and families alike.
I have been working with differently abled bodies and minds since I was a teenager in spaces such as summer camps, dance classes, residential treatment facilities, ABA spaces that focused on functional communication rather than compliance, respite care, received my BS in Special Education with a minor in Dance and am a Certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist. All of these past experiences influence my current practice of client-led, neuro-affirming therapy. I received my Masters in Clinical Psychology with a focus of Somatic Counseling and emphasis in Dance/Movement Therapy which I use as a mode of healing, inclusion and communication. I also use CBT, narrative and strengths-based approaches as forms of empowerment and to support clients in guiding their own processing, while holding space for cultural, social and learned norms, values and narratives. I hope to create a model of kindness in using the body’s wisdom to build both individual skills and a sense of community so that difference is not only accepted but celebrated.
In my free time, I spend ample amounts of time with my dog, doing anything in nature, engaging my creative brain and moving my body in both structured and unstructured ways.
MA in Clinical Psychology, w/ focused on Somatic Counseling, and emphasis on Dance/Movement Therapy, Naropa University, 2023
Board Certified Autism Technician (BCAT)
Certified Autism Spectrum Disorder Clinical Specialist
Registered Dance/Movement Therapist (R-DMT)