Calm mind, open heart

With 45+ years of experience in the healing arts, I hold a deep appreciation for how our mind, body, and spirit are interconnected. Human beings function as integrated systems and a change in one part of the system will echo, either positively or negatively, in other parts of the system. I believe – and practice – that a calm mind and open heart help us live more authentically, more in touch with ourselves, with others, and with our natural environment.

In “previous lives” I worked as a yoga/meditation teacher, pizza maker, newspaper delivery gal, landscaper, massage therapist, and editor at The Mother Earth News. After a long career in journalism (including 20 years as a writer/editor at Florida’s largest newspaper), I entered graduate school at age 52 and earned a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Clemson University. I’m now a nationally board-certified counselor (NBCC) and a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC). I have experience working with clients of many different ages and situations: children, adolescents, adults, couples, families, college students, hospice patients, domestic violence survivors. My post-graduate training has focused on various forms of trauma treatment including Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, Internal Family Systems (IFS), Hakomi (mindfulness-centered, somatic psychotherapy), and a powerful treatment protocol called Trauma No More.

In 2019 I earned a certificate in Clinical Ecotherapy from the EarthBody Institute in California. Since that time, ecotherapy — also known as nature-based counseling — has become a strong foundation for my work with clients. I am a native of these South Carolina mountains, and feel deeply at home here. It’s a joy for me to share the Upstate’s natural beauty with others, especially within a context of health and wholeness.

I’m also the author of Good Eye, Bad Eye: A Memoir of Trauma and Truth--the story of my childhood injury and the spiritual search that led me to peace and acceptance of my disability. You can read more about the book by clicking here.

I specialize in treating anxiety, depression, trauma, panic attacks, bipolar disorder, grief and bereavement, self-harm, and PTSD. My clinical and personal experience spans a wide variety of concerns: