Why I Became a Therapist
There are those of us who more naturally gravitate towards helping others. We offer a shoulder to cry on or an ear to listen. We are the individuals who friends and family tend to come to when seeking encouragement or advice. Perfect strangers also have a tendency to relay their whole life story to us unasked and unprompted. There’s just something about us that says safety and compassion. A person who will be unbiased and not judge.
I’m one of those people. However, outside of friends and family and working as a camp counselor during the summers for grade school kids, there wasn’t much I could do in an official capacity. There was an ache and drive in me, but I got burned out in undergrad and never completed my double major of English and Psychology. Instead of continuing to pursue the helping field, I went a different direction and worked in the editing and publishing world.
Then the COVID pandemic hit in 2020. The world was hit with an unprecedented wave of grief, and one that redefined grief as not something that only happens when there’s a death. My existence in the editing and publishing world had also come to a sudden and crashing end, leaving the door open for me to return to school and do what I should have done in undergrad.
My heart has always been to help others. In the editing and publishing world, it was to help authors’ dreams come true. In the face of globally pandemic and unimaginable grief, it was the desire to help ease the pain. The hurt. The desire to end life without realizing that there were still many reasons to keep living. With the shortage of counselors, I felt the pull to join forces and assist in a way that spoke to the world’s grief with compassion. With tools that would help us move forward despite the heartbreaking odds.
So, I went to grad school and got my Masters in Clinical Mental Health from Northwestern University.
Grief and trauma are two of my biggest areas of focus when it comes to my practice. I work with individuals and couples through their anxiety and depression and guilt and shame and emotions to ease the struggle and guide them through. I work with the various different types of grief, offering support and a nonjudgmental space to navigate it and bring you to a place where you feel you can breathe again.
Another area I work with is suicidal ideation and prevention. In undergrad, I lost a close friend to suicide and have a personal, intimate understanding of the dark battle suicidal ideation can be on a daily basis. I want you to know that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel, even when you can’t see it. There’s always a reason to keep breathing, even when life feels overwhelming and hopeless. I know. I’ve been there, and I’ve gotten through it. So, I know that you can too. If you need extra support, I’m here for you.
My goal with my practice is to help others—you—live true to their authentic selves. Not sure what that is? Think about what makes you feel most alive and most like yourself. Think about what it would feel like to live happy and healthy and have tools in your toolbox to combat the anxiety, depression, negative thoughts and emotions.
If this sounds good to you, don’t hesitate to reach out and schedule a session with me! I’m here to help.