I am a native Oklahoman and have always been drawn to people's stories. After high school I earned a degree in Journalism from the University of Oklahoma. Four years later I returned to OU and completed a Juris Doctorate. For the next 15 years I worked as a corporate and securities lawyer, listening to the stories of entrepreneurs and businessmen and helping them pursue their business goals.
In my early 40's I became aware that I wanted to work with people to explore their personal stories, and to use their resilience, strength and capacity to change to heal old wounds and find new meaning. I returned to the University of Oklahoma and completed my Masters of Social Work degree just shy of my 45th birthday.
After earning my MSW I worked for two years in an inpatient psychiatric unit for older adults. In 2007, I left clinical practice to serve as the Associate Director of Child and Family Services for Catholic Charities of the Archdiocese of Oklahoma City. There I supervised an array of social service programs including Counseling, Homeless Services, Refugee Resettlement, Disaster Response, Adoption, Low-Income Housing, Emergency Case Management, and the Holy Family Maternity Home. Although this experience was rich, I found that I missed working directly with clients, and in 2009 I returned to the private practice of psychotherapy. In 2015, I began training to become a psychoanalyst at the Institute of Contemporary Psychoanalysis in Los Angeles. In May 2019 I received a Doctor of Psychoanalysis degree.
I have practiced yoga and breath-based relaxation and meditation techniques for more than 20 years. These practices are an integral part of who I am, and strongly influence my psychotherapeutic practice.
I am married, a stepmother, a grandmother and a great-grandmother.
"I let go of resistance and accept the moment exactly as it is." ~ David Simon M.D.