As a licensed psychologist, I specialize in helping attorneys and other professionals go from feeling stressed, depressed or anxious to finding their love for living – and for others.
Because I’ve spent years in forensic settings, I understand the pressures of those in the legal profession. My minor in criminology led to psychological evaluations and treatment of dangerous and mentally ill delinquent and adult criminals as well as fitness for duty evaluations. I experienced first hand the type of clients attorneys can have.
Working in community mental health advanced my training in mediation as well as family law areas, such as custody evaluations and fitness for parenting evaluations. My colleagues use to joke that I spent more time in the courts as an expert witness than some of the legal professionals. Again, I was privy to the special type of stress that comes from working with families in the legal system.
While I was actively working in the forensic area, I developed this awareness and admiration for the stressful lives that attorneys lived. Many of the attorneys I knew offered their clients their home numbers and were “on call” 24 hours, seven days a week. When attorneys began to want appointments with me for themselves or family members and not their clients, I realized that working with attorneys – and not their clients – was much more rewarding.
While gathering research for a presentation “Don’t Regress Under Stress” at the Association for Family and Conciliation Court (AFCC) conference, I learned more about the high rate of burnout and compassion fatigue not only in the field of forensic psychology, but also in all areas of the legal profession.
After further researching the subject, I was shocked at the high rate of attrition among those in the legal profession who left the profession due to burnout as well as the high rates of depression and suicide among attorneys. I decided at that time to focus on helping attorneys thrive under stress so that they could enjoy all areas of their lives.
I earned my degrees – Bachelors through Doctorate at Indiana University. I am licensed by the Health Professions Bureau in the State of Indiana to practice psychology (#20040095A). I am also a Health Service Provider in Psychology (HSPP). This is the highest designation by the state and allows me to diagnose and treat mental disorders as well as provide psychological testing in private practice. I have continued my training by attending workshops in the forensic and treatment fields, being involved in peer supervision groups and extensive reading. I am a member of the following organizations:
American Psychological Association
Association of Family and Conciliation Courts
Indiana Society of Psychoanalytic Thought
If, after reading about my training and background, you would like support in making changes in your life, please contact me.
Material on this website is for informational and/or educational purposes only and is not intended to provide or be a substitute for professional services. Use of this website does not establish a therapeutic relationship.