Counseling Skills
My counseling approach is grounded in the person-centered tradition. I believe that a meaningful therapeutic relationship begins with empathy, congruence, and unconditional positive regard.
By offering genuine presence, deep listening, and a nonjudgmental space, I aim to help clients feel understood, explore their experiences, and access their own capacity for growth and change.
Building on more than 15 years of facilitating Person-Centered Expressive Arts groups, I bring experience in creating supportive environments where people can explore emotions, develop self-awareness, and discover personal meaning. My work with adults experiencing significant mental health challenges at Charlie Health has further strengthened my commitment to compassionate, person-centered care.
Through my graduate training in Clinical Mental Health Counseling at Houston Christian University, I am deepening my understanding of counseling theory, therapeutic communication, clinical assessment, case conceptualization, and ethical practice. I seek to honor each client's unique perspective while developing the clinical skills needed to support their individual needs and goals.
Following Carl Rogers's emphasis on the therapeutic relationship and Natalie Rogers's integration of creative expression with person-centered principles, I view counseling as a collaborative process rather than one in which the counselor directs or interprets the client's experience. My goal is to integrate this foundation with evidence-informed clinical practices while remaining attentive to each client's autonomy, cultural context, strengths, and readiness for change.
Counseling Skills Demonstration
Couples Counseling Session
Watch my couples counseling practice session
This practice session is an opportunity to demonstrate and reflect on my developing counseling skills in a couples context. My focus is on listening empathically to each partner, understanding their individual experiences, and fostering a respectful environment in which both can feel heard. A person-centered approach invites each partner to explore feelings and perspectives without judgment, supporting greater self-awareness, mutual understanding, and more authentic communication.
Through coursework, practice, and supervision, I continue to develop my ability to build therapeutic relationships, ask meaningful questions, reflect emotions, and facilitate dialogue while respecting each person's autonomy and experience.