I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist. What does that mean, Jesse? Well, it does not necessarily mean the obvious. I am a systems-trained therapist, which means that when I work with my clients I look at the overall system that they are operating in. In our work together, clients can expect to take a deep dive into their family of origin and upbringing. We will get curious about patterns that repeat in your family and how to break patterns of generational trauma. We will talk about attachment wounds and do our best to heal the deep rooted pain. We will also take a look at your life currently and explore together what healing looks like for you.

 

I have worked within the mental health arena for sixteen years in a variety of settings. I started my career working as a social worker embedded within the community, I worked with clients who were battling mental illness, chemical dependency and brain injuries. After several years of working within that system, I shook things up and went to grad school. While finishing up grad school, I began working at one of Minnesota's state-operated community behavioral health hospital's. In this position, my clients taught me how real the connection of mental and chemical health was. I began feeling a pull to move to provide mental health services in a chemical health treatment setting; so I went for it. I was a mental health professional at a Men's residential treatment facility and found my passion. My clients taught me how real the connection of addiction and trauma was. I then began feeling the familiar pull. I moved into leadership and supervisory positions while I furthered my understanding  of all the lessons I had learned from my clients. Then, I gathered all my courage and sought to open an outpatient mental health clinic serving my community amidst a global pandemic. In this journey, I put my resilience, courage and grit to the test. In this role, I learned how impacted we the "healers" and "responders" become when we don't preserve and nourish ourselves.

 

It is my mission to provide care and consultation that is tailored for those in these roles. Often, those in the caring, responding, and healing professions neglect their own needs which likely results in capacity overload and compassion fatigue. 

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The Why?  I have worked in the Mental Health Arena for many years. It is abundantly clear that those in the compassionate care field are the last to be compassionately cared for. Healers, responders, caregivers, peacekeepers, protectors and leaders often put their needs last which results in neglect of healing and impacts all realms of life. Mental wellness is a key component of life satisfaction. 

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Interesting fun fact? I earned the nickname "Growly Man Wrangler" from a former colleague. One of my specialties is Men's Mental Health. I thoroughly enjoy piecing apart emotions and exploring the depths underneath the "anger". Some of the best work lives in that work. 

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