My professional “first life” involved owning and operating The Next Generation, a toy store and consignment shop located in Stoughton, Wisconsin while I raised my 2 children.  After my children had grown, I went back to school and received my doctorate in counseling psychology from Marquette University in 2006. The return to school at mid-life was a wild ride and I am eternally grateful that my life opened to that particular path at that particular time. 

      Through my work, I have come to the conclusion that while I have witnessed the time-honored healing power of talk therapy, there is often energy held in the body that seeks to be understood, released, and/or transformed. Yoga is an excellent way to respectfully and fully come into the body, to attend to this energy in a new way and to deepen self-understanding. I became inspired to learn how to skillfully work with the energetic aspect of the healing process and in 2011 enrolled in the Alignment Yoga 200 Hour Yoga Teacher Training program so that I could offer yoga to my psychotherapy clients as an additional healing modality.

      In my time as a therapist I have witnessed yoga and meditation practitioners who, in the course of their practices, find certain emotions, feelings, or memories arising.  I see this as an invitation to explore the psyche and see where those emotions or feelings may be coming from.   The body and mind seek a stable state.  The psyche seeks healing and wholeness.  Psychotherapy, especially depth work, offers a supportive space for self-examination which in turn may lead to healing and stability.

       Finally, I have also worked with people who have had energy experiences, “spiritual awakening”, or “Kundalini” experiences. Bidden or unbidden, such experiences can be difficult to manage. Such clients have found help by working on grounding techniques and examining material from the personal unconscious that often surfaces at times of spiritual awakening.  In my personal life, I like to meditate and do yoga in the outdoors, particularly on my back porch, where my husband and I enjoy growing flowers, watching the birds, and spending time with family, especially our granddaughter, Nina.