We were poor when I was growing up, and when I was ten, my dad left. I spent a lot of my childhood with this longing to feel loved enough, and then my cousin died in a car accident and I think I lost my faith, and my childhood, along with her. I didn't have words for any of it back then.

So when I was trying to figure out what to do with my life, it came down to two things I knew about myself. I wanted to help people, and I love to talk. That led me to psychology, and eventually to a PhD in transpersonal psychology, which looks at the whole person, including the parts of life that are spiritual or hard to put into words.

I've been in practice since 2007. I've lived through depression myself, and I know what I needed when I was hurting and no one gave it to me. I bring that into every session. It's a big part of how I understand the people I work with.