​For those wishing to learn a bit more:

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After completing my Masters of Science in Social Work from Columbia University in New York City, I entered the field of social work to address wellness on a community level. I have worked in fields related to substance use, child welfare, trauma, and issues and concerns relating to sexual orientation and gender identity/expression. I have directed programs at Green Chimneys Children’s Services in NYC and have worked as a clinical social worker at The Children’s Center in Detroit. I am also a therapist at Healing Hearts Counseling in Rochester Hills, MI.

Prior to graduate school, I completed a Bachelor of Arts in English (Creative Writing), with a minor in Dance and concentrations in Music and Theater. I then worked as a singer/songwriter and music and movement specialist and educator in the greater NYC region. These past experiences inform my clinical skills today with rich expressive arts approaches, aligning people with the “medicine” of their own creativity as they face their self-determined goals for wellness.

 

I have received a great deal of training outside of the academic setting. This includes a two-year training program for licensed professionals at the Institute of Core Energetics, based in NYC. Core Energetics is an approach to wellness integrating body and spirit with the more familiar terrain of the mind. Core Energetics addresses the ways people protect themselves, with special consideration to finding more vibrant and spontaneous ways of living safe, full and meaningful lives. After initiating my practice of yoga in 1995, I also completed an intensive yoga teacher training program through Sun-Moon Yoga and Multi-Dimensional Yoga Therapy in Ann Arbor, and have taught hundreds of group classes and individual sessions since that time, having earned the credential of “Experienced Registered Yoga Teacher” (E-RYT) through Yoga Alliance. Also, from 1999 to 2005, I studied the simple healing art of Reiki under two masters, and began to practice as a Reiki Master/Teacher in 2006. I now lead “Reiki Through Yoga” healing arts workshops for others.

Additionally, my administrative and clinical social work experience uncovered the depth of impact that trauma can have on the lives of many people. Seeing how trauma symptoms were manifesting themselves in ways that looked like other mental health concerns (such as generalized anxiety, oppositional behavior, depression, or ADHD), I became trained and certified by The National Institute of Trauma and Loss in Children (TLC) as a Certified Trauma Specialist. I use multi-sensory approaches including art, relaxation, and gentle movement, to support a healing process addressing symptoms of mood and behavior at their very root.

 

I have done additional advanced study on cognitive-behavioral therapy (as a stand-alone practice, as well as a modality to address trauma, depression and anxiety), play therapy (both directive and non-directive), motivational interviewing, the stages of change, behavior management, and supporting parents to become trauma-informed caregivers for children and teens who have been affected by trauma.

My passion for gardening, herbs, and a “DIY lifestyle” has led me to developing healthy products that keep myself and others close to the Earth, such as balms, rinses, and teas. The integration of these simple and safe practices that virtually anyone can learn and master is yet another way that people are able to soothe and heal themselves through our work together.

As a lifetime musician, my current area of focused study is the use of sound in healing. I look forward to sharing and offering more wellness opportunities through sounding and music in the seasons to come.