ABOUT MEClinical Mental Health Counselor, Bioethicist, Advocate, and Bereavement DoulaHi there and welcome to my website! I am honored you took a moment to stop by and learn more about who I am and the work I am passionate about doing.
My work with perinatal, neonatal and pediatric chronically ill children, their families and clinicians started in 2009 as a volunteer. Additionally, I have also served those who have experienced pregnancy, infant and child loss, trauma and mental illness. I have invested my heart, time and education to best serve this special population with excellence and compassion. In addition to having worked as an advocate, CEO of a NPO, Special Needs Teacher Assistant, Clinical Research Specialist, Bioethicist, Bereavement Doula and Clinical Mental Health Counselor, I am also a wife, mother, sister and daughter. I currently work at two different practices! Your Journey Through in Wake Forest, NC and Wake Counseling and Medication in Raleigh, NC. Please see my "Connect" page for how to schedule sessions with me. |
"There's a vast difference between curing an ailment and making a sick person well." - Cary Grant as Dr. Praetorius from People Will Talk (1951)
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PORTFOLIOInspired by the resilience of children...and the need for holistic care for the bereaved and patients, families and clinicians confronting pediatric chronic illness, mental illness and trauma..."Whether we're a preschooler or a young teen, a graduating college senior or a retired person, we human beings all want to know that we're acceptable, that our being alive somehow makes a difference in the lives of others." - Fred Rogers
That sense of worth and purpose that Mr. Rogers refers to is something I continue strive towards when nurturing children and their families affected chronic illness, mental health, trauma and bereavement. I continue to seek out education, resources and advocacy opportunities to promote the holistic well-being of children and their families affected by chronic illness, mental health, trauma and bereavement. "It is only with the heart that one can see rightly: what is essential is invisible to the eye." -Antoine de Saint Exupéry, The Little Prince The world of grief and bereavement hold a sacred place in my work. I hope to help families facing pregnancy, infant and child loss, to create meaning and peace as they navigate this difficult lifelong journey. This parallels, as you will see, with my advocating for community awareness and resources to help their loved ones in their bereavement journeys. "People have said, “Don’t cry” to other people for years and years, and all it has ever meant is, “I’m too uncomfortable when you show your feelings. Don’t cry.” I’d rather have them say, “Go ahead and cry. I’m here to be with you.” - Fred Rogers Finally, I believe it necessary to integrate mental health resources for clinicians systematically faced with death and dying. I believe we can start to make an impact in clinician burn out if we provide integrated mental health resources and opportunities. |
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ABOUT ME
Looking for the Helpers
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When I was a boy and I would see scary things in the news, my mother would say to me, “Look for the helpers. You will always find people who are helping.” - Fred Rogers
My guiding light through my counseling education and continued practice has been the work and life of Fred Rogers. Coming from a musical background myself, having spent most of my professional life working with children and families, and believing in the power and spirituality of kindness, his work has remained a cornerstone to my own. I have known personally the healing power of "helpers"- the individuals willing to come along side people in the dark and abide with them there. We may not have the silver bullet to fix all of life's suffering, but I do believe in the restorative ability of presence, kindness and unconditional acceptance. My professional work in counseling has focused on broadening my understanding of how the Wellness Model, Mindfulness and Motivational Interviewing can further resilience, help with coping and create meaning for those confronting life-limiting illness, mental illness, trauma and bereavement. I strive to find theories and techniques that help children and families nourish the necessary parts of their self-concept that help them find meaning and positive coping in the face of suffering. "Nobody else can live the life you live. And even though no human being is perfect, we always have the chance to bring what’s unique about us to live in a redeeming way." - Fred Rogers |
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