It all started with those early babysitting jobs and little did I know they would become my front-row seat to the fascinating world of families.  Working with kids in my church and community only fueled my curiosity further.  You could say my teenage years were my first crash course in the school of parenting.

Fast forward to adulthood when I was blessed with two sweet baby girls.  Motherhood kicked in and I was devouring every single parenting book in sight — which, I might add, were not in abundance at the time.  I was on a quest to understand the art of parenting and eager to unravel the secrets behind the parent-child bond.

This pursuit led me to my graduate degree in counseling, specializing in child therapy.  Along the way, I became a Licensed Professional Counselor and added other credentials.  But let’s be real — those titles are just more letters behind my name that allow me to do what I love most…

Walking along side parents and encouraging them as they are living out the most challenging, exhausting, frustrating, fun, rewarding and satisfying journey of their lifetime.

For three decades, I have been able to build and scale my private practice.  It has been a privilege getting to learn from and work with so many families.  Around year fifteen, a profound realization struck me.

In cases where I was working exclusively with the parents, I was witnessing significant transformations in their families — without their children participating in the process.

You read it right — the kids were not even involved!  This left me with a whirlwind of thoughts and ideas racing through my head and so began the next phase of my work.

I began to shift my focus more to seeing the parents first since so many children were changing because parents were changing when working with me.  Parents set the tenor of the home.  They lead.  They guide.  They discipline.  They do all the things.  If they do it well, their kids will follow their leadership.

Ever a believer in the potency of the parent-child relationship, I was determined to help parents develop and nurture this vital bond.  This relationship is at the foundation for effective parenting and the most important factor for determining their parenting success.  It is only when they have that strong connection with them that they can be influential in their lives.

I quickly determined there was more to teach parents about being the parent they wanted to be.  Their parenting styles had to be identified, their child’s temperament as well as theirs had to be nailed down, what goals they had for their children had to be examined and then we had to come up with a roadmap for getting there.

Drawing on the wisdom gained from being a mom, from the lessons I am continually learning from being a grandmother, combined with a dash of professional experience, I would be thrilled to join you on your parenting journey.

Cheers to the adventure,