Our Counselors

Because I have been comforted by God, I now am able to comfort those who struggle. I was raised in Bolivar, Missouri, a small town that I have always called the "buckle of the Bible Belt." Although wonderful in many ways, the Bible belt can unknowingly create an atmosphere of congratulating the "perfect," while shaming those who don't meet the standard. I struggled with this roller coaster of high's, when I achieved, to lows, when I failed, for years until truly learning an identity outside of my successes and failures. I do praise God for my failures, my stumbles and my dark days, because now I am able to comfort others with the comfort I have received."

In addition to "life training," I attended Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar Missouri where I graduated with my B.S. in Psychology and Sociology with an emphasis in counseling. I attended Dominican University, in Forest Park, IL for graduate school where my training was focused on clinical child and family counseling and school social work. In 2006 I received my Masters degree in Social work from Dominican University. It was here that I learned about the meaning of CARITAS, "Christian love of people." 

 

I have worked in elementary schools doing school social work and community mental health clinics working primarily with children and families. I have received certification in children's grief group facilitation, EMDR and Second Step Social and Emotional Learning facilitation. I have lived in Omaha since 2010 where I have worked with children, teenagers and individuals in a private practice setting. I specialized in working with children, teenagers and woman.

I am originally from Napa, CA. I have been in Omaha for 22 years. My career in Omaha started at Boystown. I then spent many years in the Insurance and Risk Management arena in various roles ranging from claim adjusting, sales, and program management. Prior to accepting my role as Director of Operations for CARITAS, I was a healthcare staffing recruiter for over 5 years. In every role, I learned so much about business and how businesses relate to their customers and their internal colleagues. At the end of the day, each role centered around relationships. 

 

I have always been drawn to people and have always been around social services . My mom worked at Head Start for over 40 years, I was a Head Start kid. I went to school for psychology and although I didn’t know what I wanted to do; I knew I wanted to authentically help people in whatever I did. 

My role at CARITAS is to help with all the tasks and “to do’s” that so many therapists juggle. I am proud that everything I do helps support our therapists so that they can focus on giving each individual they work with their

fullest attention. I am happy that I can be a small part of someone’s healing process. 

My experience has shown that it is never over for any of us, and that He meets us exactly where we are . His grace is sufficient . His love is overflowing. His mercies are daily. There is redemption and restoration for us all.