I hold a master’s degree in counseling from Northeastern Illinois University, an undergraduate degree in sociology from Northern Illinois University, and have been in full-time practice since 2013, working in community mental health and private practice settings. I consider it a privilege and a gift to work as a therapist, a profession in which I am afforded the opportunity to make a living helping other people and growing as a person and professional spiritually, practically, and intellectually. While I have long had a social and people-focused worldview, and held strong interests in understanding psychology, cultures and human systems, my own path to becoming a therapist was meandering and non-traditional. Prior to working in this capacity and many years-ago, I also held a prior career in property insurance adjusting and served several years in the US Army. In my private life I enjoy spending time with friends and family, reading, travel and living an active lifestyle.