1. One of my favorite childhood memories is . . .
Riding through the fields on my horse when I was young.
2. I love being a mental health counselor because . . .
I love helping others find the strength and resources within their lives to move forward in a positive way.
3. A life lesson I’ve learned from my clients is . . .
That making small positive changes can make a significant impact over time.
4. Three words that describe my counseling style are . . .
Personal, positive, strength finding.
5. When I’m not in counseling sessions, you’ll find me . . .
Spending time with my family and friends, kayaking, biking, going for walks, practicing yoga.
6. Three people who inspire me are . . .
Joni Eareckson Tada, Corrie ten Boom, my son Matthew.
7. A quote that I live by is . . .
“Take what comes along, say a prayer and step forward.”
8. One thing guaranteed to push me out of my comfort zone is . . .
Trying to finish a difficult session on time.
9. My best self-care technique is . . .
Exercise in the morning.
10. This is how I found counseling and how counseling found me . . .
I worked as a speech pathologist for years and in that time gravitated toward talking with parents about their struggles related to raising their children with special needs. When I had a child of my own with special needs, my husband and I started a support group for parents in our church. Through that experience, I decided to pursue a degree in mental health counseling to gather more tools to incorporate into my goal of helping this population of parents. When I registered my son for the inclusion program at Cazenovia College I met Mary Handley and through her discovered their graduate program. It was meant to be!
11. One thing I could not live without is . . .
My faith, my family….and dark chocolate!
12. If I were to tell a friend about mental health counseling, I would say . . .
That it both challenges and inspires me.
13. The approaches I draw from in my counseling practice are . . .
Person centered therapy, cognitive behavioral theory, Gottman Method, strengths-based cognitive behavioral therapy.
14. Clients that challenge me the most have this in common . . .
They are unable to see the impact of their behavior and feel that they do not need to make any changes.