Guidance and Growth

We live in a very challenging world. Our challenges can become a tangled web and we often need a safe place to unravel them to get to the other side. I can offer that safe and comforting place, and I have experience in helping others to cope and find peace and happiness in order to thrive. I am a US citizen working in Den Haag with many years of experience in helping others, in fact, helping you and people like you is my greatest calling.  I feel priviledged to participate with people in finding solutions.

My career in counseling began in 1993 as a school counselor: I obtained an LPC for private practice in 1995, and I worked in the school system for many years while maintaining a minimal “side hustle” as a private counselor.  Prior to counseling, I was a teacher of English, Physical Education and  Dance in the public school system. I’ve built my practice by working with clients in ways that address somatic responses to stress and trauma. I found that for children, movement is integral to the natural expression of emotion. In contrast, most adults are more focussed upon their thought processes, tasks, and productivity, rather than bodily experiences.  Add all of this “thinking” to the challenges, such as health problems, burn-out or aging, and you find an adult in need of support.  Somatically speaking, suppressed emotion can compound within the nervous system and may lead to symptoms of the body such as headache, back pain, and digestive issues (to name a few.)  My work as a counselor is informed by the writing of Dr. Stephen Porgess on “The Polyvagal Theory,” with the idea that healing and restoration occurs within the transformative power of feeling safe. I work by creating that necessary safe space for healing.