Welcome to Lighthouse Counseling. Therapy is based upon boundaries and trust. Please carefully review the following information since it is the foundation on which the counseling relationship is built.

Professional Standards: I’m a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) with a Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling. I believe that my office is a space where one can feel safe, heard, and understood. Anyone who walks through my door has inherent dignity and is deserving of respect. I follow the ethical standards of the American Counseling Association.

Education and Experience: I received my Masters of Science in Education from Old Dominion University and my Bachelors in Psychology from Liberty University. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in the state of Virginia. I have worked with a large variety of people, but have found my specialities in working with complex trauma, life transitions, and emotion regulation/distress tolerance issues in adults. I am also experienced in group work and I currently co-facilitate a Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) group.

Therapeutic Orientation: I work with multiple modalities in therapy and I match my approach to what you need. I also use different assessments/questionnaires to gather information to better understand you. After the intake session, we may decide that my abilities do not match with your needs and will make a referral if needed. 

My orientation to counseling is based on the understanding that our beliefs produce our thoughts, which produce our feelings, which then produce our behavior. This is known as a Cognitive Behavioral Therapy approach (CBT). I also believe that our thoughts about ourselves and how we view the world are influenced by our upbringings and experiences (psychodynamic approach). Other modalities that I use/integrate into therapy are Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Eye Movement Integration (EMI). These approaches are effective for healing from past trauma. If you request, I will integrate spiritual interventions into therapy. All of these different approaches to therapy work well with one another and I can tailor my approach to what works for you at this moment.

I respect the beliefs of all of my clients. If we differ in our beliefs, please know that you can talk to me about it. I am here to support you in your journey, not here to judge you. Ask me any questions you may have about the counseling process at any time and share any concerns you may have. I know that taking the step to counseling is not always an easy one and I want you to feel comfortable and confident that this is right for you.