I have a Bachelors of Arts degree in International Studies in Business from the University of Washington and a Masters of Arts degree in International Business from Webster University in Vienna, Austria. In 2020 I completely switched gears to follow my passion and returned to school at Bastyr University where I was awarded a Masters of Arts degree in Counseling Psychology (June 2022). I chose Bastyr’s unique program due to its holistic, whole-person approach to healing.

I am certified in Pat Ogden’s Sensorimotor Psychotherapy for Trauma Themes. This modality welcomes the body as an integral source of information which can guide resourcing and the accessing and processing of challenging, traumatic, and developmental experiences.

I am also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) therapy. In EMDR therapy, clients focus briefly on a trauma memory while simultaneously experiencing bilateral stimulation, which is associated with a reduction in the vividness and emotion associated with the trauma memories.

I have advanced training and a certificate in Substance Use Disorder Counseling from Lake Washington Institute of Technology.

I am trained in Mindfulness-Based Relapse Prevention (MBRP) and will be participating in the THRIVE study in fall 2024. MBRP was developed at the University of Washington and helps us pause, observe present experiences, and bring awareness to the range of choices before each of us in every moment, working towards freedom from autopilot.

I completed a 200-hour Yoga Alliance certified yoga teacher training (RYT) with Tribe Yoga in Bad MitternDorf, Austria, in 2013 and have attended many workshops and trainings throughout Europe, Asia and the Seattle Area. Movement and yoga have been a major component of my personal healing. More recently, I’ve completed Yoga Behind Bars Trauma-Informed Training (2020) and Dr. Arielle Schwartz’ Applied Polyvagal Theory in Therapeutic Yoga Training (2021).

When I’m not geeking out on psychology and neuroscience, my time is filled with caring for my young kiddos, trail running, practicing yoga, spending time with friends and family, and traveling. Most of our travel time these days is spent in Austria where my husband is from and my children were born.