I believe that we all do the best we can with the skills that we have. Sometimes, however, those skills only get us so far, and we need new ones. I teach those new skills in both an educational format and through the therapeutic relationship. I am an attentive, empathetic therapist who pays special attention to how clients’ view their lives in order to provide treatment that is effective and makes sense to them. I enjoy working with people of all backgrounds, cultures and orientations and consider it an honor to be my clients’ therapist. I am also a licensed supervisor and enjoy providing clinical supervision to clinicians new in the field.
I believe that we all do the best we can with the skills that we have. Sometimes, however, those skills only get us so far, and we need new ones.
My style is not only therapeutic but also psycho-educational as I draw on research and often use a whiteboard during sessions.
I am also the individual and group therapist for the “Why Can’t I Stop Eating?” program for binge eating disorder.
I have practiced as a clinical social worker and therapist for over 20 years. My training and work with clients draws on Dialectical Behavior Therapy, (DBT), Eating Disorder therapies, Mindfulness, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy and Grief Therapy.
During my career I have worked with emotionally and behaviorally dysregulated adolescents in residential therapy, provided eating disorder treatment in Intensive Day Programming and the outpatient setting, provided therapy for clients with end-of-life issues in hospice, provided clinical services to families and children in the field of adoption as well as practiced therapy in a general practice setting. Within these settings my clients have had a range of mental health concerns, including, but not limited to: depression, anxiety, substance abuse or dependence, Schizophrenia or other thought disorders, Bipolar disorder, parenting, infertility, eating disorders, grief, attachment issues, Borderline Personality Disorder and adjustment disorders.
M.S.S.W., School of Social Work, University of Wisconsin, Madison, 1995
B.A., St. Olaf College, 1990
Licensed Individual Clinical Social Worker, 1999
Certified as a DBT Individual Therapist, 2015; member of an Adherent DBT Team for 2 years, practicing DBT for 8 years.
Member of the International Association of Eating Disorders Professionals (IAEDP)
DBT Training
Dialectical Behavior Therapy, (DBT)
DBT Associates (2014)
Behavioral Tech DBT Foundation Training (2015)
Additional Behavioral Tech DBT Foundation Training (2015)
Eating Disorder Training
International Association of Eating Disorder Professionals Symposium (IAEDP) (yearly attendance)
Accanto Annual Symposium 2022
Binge Eating Disorders Association Conference (2017)
National Eating Disorder Association (NEDA) Conference 2012
Neurobiology of Eating Disorders 2014
Enhanced Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT-E) for Eating Disorders 2014
Other Relevant Trainings
Mindfulness
Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction course (MBSR) 2013
Hospice, Death and Dying
End-of-Life Conference, 2009 Minnesota Hospice & Palliative Care Conference, 2010
Anxiety Disorder
Binge Eating Disorder
Borderline Personality Disorder
Depression
Grief Management
Identity & Body Image
Life Transitions
Relationship Issues
Stress Management
Traumatic Loss
Adults
Seniors
Minnetonka, MN
Telehealth
Accelerated Resolution Therapy
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
Mindfulness-Based Psychotherapy
Supportive Psychotherapy
Our clinical team is diverse and in keeping with our vision this allows for choice. We merge personal background and experience, education, creativity, and passion into a professional vision: commitment to diversity in both theory and practice. We make every effort to assign clinicians with respect to a client’s and/or family’s therapeutic and cultural needs.
Think of us as your cheerleaders on the sidelines. You've seen it, the smile, the simple nod of the head. Small gestures that say: we understand, we are listening and we are here for you. That's who we are.