Openings within one week or less for most insurance-weekdays, evenings and Saturdays!
Meet Your Next Right Step Therapy
My Story:
Hello, and welcome!
Do you ever feel overwhelmed, challenged by life, or stuck facing an obstacle? If so, I invite you to join me in a supportive and open space where you can learn, grow, and thrive. Together, we will identify your strengths, explore solutions, and help you live with meaning and purpose.
Here, you can step away from the busyness of life, take a deep breath, and reconnect with yourself. As F. Scott Fitzgerald said, “For what it’s worth… it’s never too late, or in my case too early, to be whoever you want to be.”
My motto is simple: “There is always a solution.” With over 20 years of experience supporting teenagers and adults, I specialize in dual diagnosis, anxiety, depression, mood management, stress, substance use, burnout, grief and loss, life transitions, gambling, and relapse prevention.
My passion is helping people create fulfilling and rewarding lives—no matter where they are starting from. Whatever challenge you face, there is always a solution, and I’m here to help you find it.
More about me:
My Professional Career
With over 25 years of experience, I provide a supportive and compassionate space for individuals, couples, and families to grow, heal, and thrive. I specialize in addiction recovery and major life transitions—including young adulthood, marriage, parenting, menopause, and retirement—while helping clients build stronger, more meaningful relationships.
I hold a Master of Social Work from the University of Missouri–Kansas City and a Master of Business Administration in Healthcare Administration from Avila University in Kansas City, Missouri.
I began my career working with individuals with moderate to severe autism and developmental disabilities before transitioning into outpatient mental health. In that setting, I served in a variety of roles, including job coach, case manager, crisis clinician, intake specialist, therapist, and program manager. I later moved into inpatient behavioral health, spending six years in a leadership role at Truman Medical Centers. From there, I worked in an inpatient substance use treatment center and then with Johnson County Mental Health Center, where I spent eight years as a team lead in their outpatient dual-diagnosis program.
I have extensive experience treating both mental health and substance use disorders. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in Kansas and Missouri, a Licensed Clinical Addiction Counselor, and a Kansas Certified Gambling Counselor.
My ideal client is motivated for change but may feel stuck during challenging times or uncertain about their current stage of life. Together, we explore what is keeping them stuck while building practical skills to cope, grow, and move forward. I enjoy working with adult individuals and have a particular passion for helping couples reconnect and strengthen their bond.
If you are ready to seek change, I invite you to reach out. I look forward to meeting you.
on a personal note
On a personal note, I’ve been with my husband for 28 years and married for 22. Building Your Next Right Step Therapy was an amazing project for us both! My husband (and business partner) has been with me every step of the way.
We have two wonderful children—both young adults, a son who resides with us while working full time in the mental health field while attending a local university and a daughter who is studying psychology and criminology at an out of state university.
I’m a lifelong resident of the Kansas City metro area, though I’ve loved traveling across the United States and visiting several countries around the world. I enjoy experiencing and learning about different cultures, beliefs, and people.
In my free time, I love spending time with my family and our Flat-Coated Retriever. I also enjoy biking, going to the gym, reading (usually with a cat in my lap), relaxing on my deck (often with my large dog nearby), traveling, and connecting with friends.