Do you find your relationships growing distant no matter what you do? You may be fed up with fighting all the time, feeling anxious, or feeling lonely in your relationships. You might not even remember a time things didn’t feel this way. But one thing is for sure: you are ready for some relief. You’re ready to feel more comfortable communicating with your spouse and family members. You’re ready to have your family understand and accept you. You are ready to feel satisfied and secure in your relationships again.I work with individuals, couples, and families to get to the root of the problem, because therapy should be a place where you feel confident changes will last. Sessions with me are about building communication habits. Together, we will help you feel like a team again. And we’ll go at your pace, never pushing you to a place you don’t feel ready to be.As an experienced counselor who is a Certified Emotionally Focused Therapist and Supervisor, I know all relationships have the potential to be repaired and healed. You don’t have to continue feeling lonely, and you don’t have to figure it out on your own. Visit our website to schedule a free 20-minute consultation at www.CommunicateAndConnect.com. I can’t wait to hear from you.

Part-time Instructor for Online MSW Courses: Spring 2025: SW 724.7005 "Therapeutic Interventions with Families"Spring 2025: SW 720.7005 "Therapeutic Interventions with Individuals" Fall 2024: SW 741.7001 "Practice and Program Evaluation"Fall 2024: SW 640.7001 "Elements of Evidence Informed Practice"Summer 2024: SW 710.7003 and 710.7004 "Advanced Multidimensional Assessment"Spring 2024: SW640.7003 "Elements of Evidenced Informed Practice"Spring 2024: SW741.7006 "Practice and Program Evaluation"Fall 2023: SW624.7001 "Social Work Methods with Couples and Families"

Populations Served: Individuals, Couples, and Families; Military Members, Veterans, and Military Families Responsibilities: Marriage and family therapy utilizing Emotionally Focused Couple Therapy, Emotionally Focused Family Therapy, and Discernment Counseling. Individual psychotherapy utilizing Acceptance and Commitment Therapy and Cognitive Processing Therapy for PTSD. Supervisor: Dr. Victoria Holroyd, LPC

Populations Served: AdultsResponsibilities: Provided individual non-medical counseling services through telehealth technology.

Populations Served: Veterans. Responsibilities:Outpatient Psychotherapist (November 2017 - September 2019):Diagnostic evaluation; Individual and group psychotherapy. Assisted in programmatic/clinic development of Behavioral Health Interdisciplinary Program (BHIP) Teams. Director of Postgraduate Training, Rural and Underserved Interprofessional Postgraduate Fellowship (January – February 2018):Assisted the outgoing Director of Training, Dr. Scott Cardin, in the following activities: Programmatic development and strategic planning for the Fellowship. Recruitment of interprofessional staff to be part of the training programs. Provided oversight in the review & development of our training program web materials & marketing devoted to recruitment for the Postgraduate Training Programs. Acted as liaison between the Fellowship & graduate training programs & universities. Provided informational presentations as needed both within and outside VA. Coordinated Social Work Fellow application process. Organized, facilitated, created and distributed marketing materials for the Social Work Fellow Applicant Open House. Research and Didactic Coordinator, Rural and Underserved Interprofessional Postgraduate Fellowship (March 2018 – September 2019):Managed design and operations of training seminars, was responsible for obtaining survey data measuring the perceived quality of didactics. Periodically reviewed our program’s didactics design and curriculum in relation to professional standards & benchmark curriculum. Provided quality oversight for content for didactic seminars and didactic structure. Conducted research via data collection, analysis, literature review and write up of manuscripts. Coordinated research efforts within the program and with community partnerships.Additional Duties:Member, Behavioral Health Continuing Education Committee Member, Social Work Education, Career Development, and Student Training Committee Supervisor: Cecilio Pardo-Reoyo, MD.

Populations Served: Adults.Responsibilities: Diagnostic evaluation of adults. Individual psychotherapy forserious and persistent mental illness. Group psychotherapy for chronic depression: Interpersonal Process Groups. Group psychotherapy for Borderline Personality Disorders, Substance Use, and Complex PTSD: Dialectical Behavior Therapy. Use of evidenced based assessments and treatment including: Daily Living Activities-20, Trauma Focused CBT, and the Unified Protocol for Transdiagnostic Treatment of Emotional Disorders. Crisis interventions for emergency services.Supervisor: Kristan Hinson, LPC.

Populations Served: Adult VeteransClinical Emphasis:• Underserved Populations: Major Emphasis (12 months)Diagnostic evaluation, individual and group psychotherapy for Veterans who have experienced Military Sexual Trauma, and Identify at Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual or Transgender. Experience in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy; Skills in Affect and Interpersonal Regulation Therapy; Interpersonal Process Groups; Dialectical Behavior Therapy; Telehealth psychotherapy/psychoeducation groups for Progressive Tinnitus Management and “Quit Tobacco” cessation.• Evidenced Based Treatments for PTSD: Minor Emphasis (9 months)Diagnostic evaluation of Veterans with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder; including administration, scoring, and interpretation of the Trauma Symptom Inventory-2. Individual psychotherapy to reduce PTSD Symptoms: Prolonged Exposure and Cognitive Processing Therapy. Non-Clinical Emphasis: (12 months)• Research: Minor EmphasisParticipation Research Team meetings. Assisted with following projects: Evaluation of Progressive Tinnitus Management: An Interdisciplinary Study IRB protocol; HRSA Substance Abuse Service Expansion grant application write up for Coastal Family Health; Moral Injury; Quit Tobacco Program Evaluation; and Rural Mental Health for Veterans Content Analysis. Conducted policy analysis on Social Work scope of practice. Interprofessional Experience:Participation in weekly Interdisciplinary Treatment Team meetings; weekly didactics/ seminars; monthly Interpersonal Violence (IPV) Awareness Committee meetings; Interdisciplinary treatment team coordination and planning; Homeless Program HUDVASH Team Meetings and Evaluation for HUDVASH housing voucher eligibility.Supervisors: Scott Cardin, Ph.D. (Director of Training); Eric Oleson, LCSW (LCSW Supervisor); Candace Drake, Psy.D. (Evidenced Based Treatment Supervisor), Shelia Robinett, Psy.D. (Military Sexual Trauma Coordinator).

Populations Served: Professionals and organizations working with teens. Responsibilities: Assisted in the creation and dissemination of agency communication and marketing aimed at reducing teen pregnancy in South Carolina; Assisted in annual Summer Institute Conference planning; Created a social marketing plan; Assisted in reviewing agency grant applications. Supervisor: Kimberly Wicker, LMSW.

Project 1: Army Women Research Project (2014-2015)Responsibilities: Used MAXQDA software to analyze military and deployment experiences of Army women with specific focus on Military Sexual Trauma; Coded narrative responses of positive and negative deployment experiences; Identified themes in the data; Organized meetings for inter-coder agreement and conducted pre- and post- inter-coder agreement analysis; Co-author for the 2015 South Carolina NASW Symposium presentation.Supervisor: Nikki Wooten, Ph.D.Project 2: Economic and Human Services Contract Monitoring (2013-2014)Responsibilities: Monitored two grants: one in economic services and one in human services. Scheduled file reviews, Conducted file reviews, Conducted child abuse and neglect risk assessments, Reported child abuse and neglect cases, Discussed file review findings with each site, Prepared two quarterly reports for the Director of the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Assisted in writing Corrective Action Plans for contractor’s.Supervisor: Shaneka Oliver, MSW, Director of Accountability, Data, and Research

Responsibilities: Monitored contract requirements by collecting and analyzing data: one in economic services and one in human services. Scheduled file reviews, Conducted file reviews, Conducted child abuse and neglect risk assessments, Reported child abuse and neglect cases, Discussed file review findings with each agency site, Prepared two quarterly reports for the Director of the South Carolina Department of Social Services, Assisted in writing Corrective Action Plans for contractor’s.Supervisor: Shaneka Oliver, MSW

Populations Served: Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Ally populations at the University of Texas at El Paso.Responsibilities: Planned and executed events for LGBT individuals (including: Queer History Month Activities, National Ally Week, National Coming Out Day, National Transgender Day of Remembrance Memorial, Consent Workshop, Queer Leadership Conference, LGBT Book Club, etc.) ; Coordinated the RMI SpeakOUT program for university classes; Coordinated the Ally Training Program for campus departments; Presented lectures to college classrooms and staff regarding diversity sensitivity; Created educational workshops to train individuals to participate in the Speaker Bureau; Organized, promoted, and hosted leadership conferences for the LGBT community by scheduling speakers, managing catering services, and reserving rooms; Co-Chaired the Rainbow Miner Initiative Advisory Board. Supervisor: Corey Bailey, Director of the Student Engagement and Leadership Center

Responsibilities: Conducted outreach and promotional activities for the Women’s Studies Program at the University of Texas at El Paso by creating and distributing marketing materials, and presenting at university classes . Supervisor: Brenda Risch, Ph.D.

Populations Served: Adolescents (Middle school through High school) Responsibilities: Mentored 40 middle school and high school students; Worked with students individually and in groups; Created religious/ spiritual lesson plans; Planned and conducted events such as retreats, conferences, and mission trips; Co-lead youth worship teams.Supervisor: Yeadon Smith, Youth Pastor