I am a counseling professional with a passion for working in schools with struggling students. My specialty is in working with children from ages 4-12 who suffer from emotional and social challenges that get in the way of their success in school. These can include loss, anxiety, depression, neurodiversity, selective mutism, parent incarceration, or being a part of the foster care system. 

Our most challenging students are not in a place to learn. They bring fear, anger, and sadness to the classroom; these are not left at the door when they walk into the school. These emotional challenges keep them stuck and unable to access that part of their brain that helps them learn and grow. Some of these students become aggressive, agitated, or run from the classroom. Others “collapse” – that is, they give up and refuse to participate in learning and other classroom activities. Teachers feel overwhelmed, ineffective, and are left wondering how to teach their students all they want and need them to learn.

Schools are a crucial place to reach these children. For many, it is the most stable and safest place in their lives. Research shows that twenty percent of all school-age children have an emotional or mental illness. Of these, only twenty percent will receive any kind of intervention and most of that will occur at school. 

I integrate one-on-one therapy, the latest research on how the brain changes and grows, ongoing collaboration with school staff, and work with parents. Together, these provide an amazing and urgently-needed opportunity to offer effective interventions at the school level, interventions that can change the trajectory for these children.