As a child, I had always envisioned myself becoming a history teacher, believing that if we could be informed about history, we could then take steps to avoid repeating it. Yet in my teenage years, the complex interplay between my environment and my biology led to me dropping out of high school and turning to unhealthy behaviors to cope with my emotions, thoughts, and beliefs. During adolescence and early adulthood, I spent a great amount of time being shuffled from one treatment, institution, or system to another with professionals who argued about who could best meet my needs. The only thing they seemed to agree on is that they themselves could not help and I should seek services elsewhere. Having lost hope for my future and healthy connections with others, I internalized a negative view of myself and the world around me. My mental health, as well as addictive and compulsive behaviors, turned me into someone I did not know and did not want to know.

In early adulthood, I happened to come across others who had experienced a similar disconnection from themselves and the world. A dear friend at the time reminded me of my lost educational dreams by stating, “If you don’t learn the lesson from the experience, you will re-experience the lesson.” Around that time, I also found a therapist who held hope for me when I did not have it for myself. Over time, these corrective experiences helped me to reconnect with myself, with others, and with the world around me. Slowly, I moved from mere survival to deep personal growth. After getting my GED and beginning college, I chose to major in psychology with the hope I could change the broken systems within which I had lost myself for so long. As I began to heal, I became employable and able to set realistic goals for myself.

After completing my undergraduate degree, I worked in mental health for a number of years before transitioning to working in addiction treatment. While I began to recognize I could not single-handedly change the broken systems in which I had been a client, I began creating environments and relationships with colleagues in my profession that focused on seeing individuals as whole, complex beings instead of just labels or diagnoses. A few years into my career, I recognized that to do more in the field, I would have to get my Master’s degree. In 2010, I began my degree at Capella University while working full-time as an addiction counselor. Over time, through both personal experiences and professional training, I began to understand attachment wounds are often at the core of the ways in which we become disconnected from our lives. As a result, I began seeking further training in trauma, attachment, addiction, and EMDR. During my career, I have worked in mental health, addiction, and victim services allowing a for a broad understanding of the issues with which clients present to counseling. I hope that I can help you learn from your own history and rewrite the narrative in a way that enhances your own curiosity about your life and offers a sense of direction by which you walk through the world.