My career is built on a foundational belief: everyone can learn and use skills to create a meaningful, thriving life. I'm a psychologist licensed for in-person and telehealth care in North Carolina and am Psypact licensed to provide telehealthecare in 39 states. My work began not in a clinic, but in an elementary classroom, where as as a school teacher I felt a deep pull toward better understanding and supporting my students' personal struggles. This powerful insight led me to earn my Master's and Doctoral degrees in Clinical Psychology.
It was during a practicum at the Georgia Institute of Technology Counseling Center that I discovered Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), a mindfulness-based therapeutic framework. Its emphasis on concrete, actionable skills resonated deeply with me due to its practicality and proven effectiveness. After my graduate internship at Duke University’s Counseling Center and a rigorous DBT post-doctoral fellowship, in 2014 I was one of the first clinicians globally to become a DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified Clinician™. This certification reflects my unwavering commitment to a therapy that radically changes lives.
Throughout my 20+ year career, I’ve provided assessments, individual and group therapy, consulting, coaching, supervision, and trainings. In 2015, when consulting for a team of business executives, I realized that DBT skills can enhance not only individual well-being but also organizational success. Turns out, skills aren’t just good for life; they are excellent for businesses too.
In response to this experience combined with the pandemic highlighting the need for people to have greater access to emotional well-being support, I created Whole Skills Coaching. My hope is to make skills accessible to a wider audience, beyond those purely seeking therapy. DBT’s enduring appeal is in this fundamental truth: these practical skills, while initially developed for severe challenges, are universally beneficial – they are, quite simply, life-changing for anyone willing to learn and practice them.
My passion lies in empowering others to invest in themselves, acquire skills, and build meaningful lives. I am a fervent believer in applying these concrete skills daily, finding them indispensable in all aspects of my own life. My greatest joy is witnessing others integrate these skills, transforming their own lives and relationships.
I have learned over and over again that we all have the ability to learn, and what we learn changes us.