MY JOURNEY

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I remember riding the bus in elementary school with the scary neighborhood kid.  He used to make his dog chase me everyday when we got off the bus.  I was terrified but it didn't stop me from being curious about him.  I sat in the seat next to him and asked him questions.  I wanted to understand his life.  I knew it wasn't easy because we used to watch his parents argue on the porch in the evenings.  One time his mom even chased his dad around the yard in the family van.  I have always been guided by a genuine curiosity of people's lives, an admiration for the strength people have to endure, and a belief in the inherent goodness of humans.  This is one of the first of many incidences in my life that lead me to pursue a career in mental health.    

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I received my Bachelors and Masters from Michigan State University.  I began my career in the school system where I worked with adolescents for ten years. During this time it became apparent that providing interventions that were solely "talk therapy" based weren't enough.  Something was missing... the body.  In 2003 I began yoga teacher training as a way to manage my own stress as well as to understand the mind/body connection more fully.  I finished my 500 hour registered teacher training and began teaching in 2005.  

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My passion for a more holistic way of interacting with clients lead me to complete a nine month training program in Trauma Center Trauma Sensitive Yoga through the Center for Trauma and Embodiment.  Following this I completed a nine month trauma certification program through the Trauma Center in Boston.