About Me

My passion for helping others began in my teens, when I volunteered as a community health aide in Honduras and the Dominican Republic. During that time, I discovered not only a natural ability for this kind of work but also a deep sense of purpose—one that has guided my path ever since.

I graduated with my nursing degree from Austin Community College in 1988 and began my career as a registered nurse. Over the next 25 years, I worked in a variety of roles, from public health to critical care, caring for people during some of their most difficult and vulnerable moments. Alongside my hospital work, I volunteered at 2 community health clinics caring for those without access to traditional health care.

In 2015, I felt it was  time for a change and began my journey to become a licensed clinical therapist. It was a transition  that allowed me to utilize my nursing extensive experience and continue supporting others, just in a deeper and more personal capacity.

During this time, I worked with the Austin Police Department’s Victim Services Unit, where I experienced first hand  the  emotional and psychological impact of working everyday with individuals who had experienced traumatic events and often violent events. I saw the how these frontline workers were affected and focused my graduate studies on vicarious trauma- the cost of caring.

When COVID hit in 2020, life changed dramatically for all of us—but especially for frontline workers, who faced the most difficult challenges. As I watched exhausted, beleaguered nurses risk their lives and the lives of their families each day, I knew I had to do something.

I met with the executive board of The Ecumenical Center in San Antonio, where I was working at the time, and they allowed me to put together  a team of therapists to go into hospitals and provide emotional support and create a safe space  for medical staff to debrief. The program was well received and highly rewarding.

In 2021 I went to work at the Fallbrook Center, a treatment center for woman who struggle with addiction and trauma. There I received training in EMDR, Experiential Therapy and trauma informed care.

n 2023, I moved back to Austin and began my private practice. My goal is to use the skills and experience I’ve gained throughout my career to provide each of my clients with the most effective treatment plan possible—and to do my best to make a meaningful difference.