The Early Years
As a child I questioned why the world worked the way it did. Being the youngest of 3 children provided me with the opportunity to sit back and observe my world.  As a sensitive and caring child, I soon realized there were a great number of things that I had no control over.  Of course this didn’t stop me from trying but it did lead me to spend large amounts of time in the inner world of my imagination.  It also contributed to my ability to fashion alternative solutions and ways to do things.  This natural ability to connect with my creativity and imagination led to my intrigue with the inner life we all experience and ultimately my decision to become a therapist.

The Later Years
The path to becoming a therapist, a helper, a teacher was rocky and crooked and it took a while.  I had to do a number of other things first.  When I discovered humanistic psychology, the study of people, their lives, their inner worlds, their relationships, I knew I had “come home” in the sense that this was what I was meant to do.  I had arrived in the world of psychology and once I got here I have never looked back!  I love helping people create the life they want.  It is a privilege and an honor to sit with you and hear your life story – the struggles, the challenges, what worked, what did not work.  The inner thoughts, feelings, and behaviors of people I find endlessly fascinating.  I truly believe we all share a bond of humanity and common experiences.

More Recently
I have been in private practice for over 26 years.  During this time I have also worked at various mental health settings including:

  • Highline West Seattle Mental Health Clinic, Emergency Services.
  • Walk in crisis counseling center in St. Paul, MN
  • Child Guidance Clinic, Family Safety Team, Tacoma, WA
  • Ruth Dykman Center, Family Reconciliation Services, Seattle, WA

I received my Doctoral degree from Saybrook Graduate School & Research Center and my Masters degree from Antioch University. I love to teach and have presented to professional and lay audiences on a variety of topics including self-esteem, stress management, eating disorders, relationship building, parenting, healing for the professional, family therapy, and play therapy for children.

I am networked in the professional community, frequently attend trainings and workshops relevant to my work, and actively participate in peer consultation.

  • Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist, Washington State.
  • Clinical Member, American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy.
  • Professional Member, The National Eating Disorders Association.
  • Professional Member, The National Association for Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders (ANAD).
  • Professional Member, The Association for Humanistic Psychology.
  • Registered Play Therapist, The Association for Play Therapy.

Writing credits include:

  • My doctoral dissertation: “A Phenomenological Psychological Analysis of Multiple Experiences of Bulimia,” (2000).
  • “The Acquisition of Bulimia: Childhood Experience,” The Journal of Phenomenological Psychology, Volume 35 / No.1 / 2004.

When I am not at work, I can be found sailing in the San Juan and Gulf Islands, at my home relaxing with my husband and two cats, or spending time with friends and family.