I wasn’t always a counselor.

My first “adult” job was a stay home mom. I “tried” college at the age of 18 in Minnesota and it didn’t work out. I moved to Santa Rosa, CA at 19 and was a nanny. I enjoyed my year as a nanny, but then I moved back to my home area of Siouxland (Iowa, Nebraska, & South Dakota) and became a Certified Nursing Assistant. I met my now husband at the age of 20, had my first child, became a wife, bonus mom of two, and mom by the age of 21. A total of four kiddos later, our family decided it would be best if one of us stayed home and I was elected.  

By the time I was in early thirties, our family had lived in the states of Iowa, Nebraska, Texas, Oklahoma, and back to Nebraska. I elected to go back to college in my early thirties and when the two youngest children were in elementary. My first degree was an AA in History, and my second degree was a BA in Cultural Anthropology. I had promised the two younger kids, we would let them graduate from one school, so we moved one last time back to Sioux City, IA.

I am a licensed in Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Nebraska, and South Dakota states, and support clients online. After graduating from Capella University with a Master of Science in Mental Health Counseling and Post-graduate Certificate in Contemporary Theory in Addictive Behavior, I began practicing in 2016 with the Omaha Tribe of Nebraska in my home county of Thurston in Nebraska. After four years in tribal community health, I thought it was important to experience private practice and began practicing at Family Wellness Associates in Sioux City, IA. I also began my journey to obtain my Doctorate Degree in Counseling Education and Supervision from Capella University. Again, believing it was important to obtain inpatient experience as a co-occurring therapist, I became an Intake Clinician for a substance abuse treatment facility in Omaha, NE. Because my children were now in college, I was in post-graduate school…I thought it was best to start my own private telehealth office where I could be more empowered to navigate becoming a parent of adults, a grandparent and renewing my life with my husband.

I am adjunct instructing at Nebraska Indian Community College (NICC) in their Human Services department. I am a professional member of the American Counseling Association (ACA), Association for Counselor Education and Supervision (ACES), North Central ACES (NCACES), Association for Spiritual, Ethical, and Religious Values in Counseling (ASERVIC), Association for Multicultural Counseling & Development (AMCD). I am also a professional member with the Iowa Counseling Association (ICA), Iowa Mental Health Counseling Association (IMHCA); where I am the current Member At Large Board Member, and Nebraska Counseling Association (NCA). In addition to these organizations, I am a professional member with National Association for Addiction Professionals (NAADAC) and the Iowa and Nebraska state affiliated chapters. And lastly, I am a professional/student member of Chi Upsilon Chi Chapter of Chi Sigma Iota, an International Counseling Academic & Professional Honor Society.