Trusting Presence as a Career

I’ve always been fascinated by relationships—the ones we build with others, with ourselves, and with the world around us. That curiosity led me into the field of mental health in 2014. By 2017, I was working with emerging adults at NC State University’s Prevention Services and Counseling Center, where I trained under experienced supervisors who helped me refine the art of structuring sessions, managing cases, and providing consultation.

In 2018, I expanded my experience at Triangle Springs Behavioral Hospital and Triangle Counseling Agency, balancing work across multiple settings—leading partial-hospitalization groups on Saturdays and offering long-term individual therapy during the week. That season taught me the deep necessity of self-care, client advocacy, and the power of therapy within diverse systems: college, hospital, and community. I am forever grateful to the clients and supervisors who shaped my early years as a counselor.

As I completed my supervised hours, my approach to therapy began to take on its own shape—one infused with creativity, depth, and a strong commitment to presence. At Lifeologie Counseling, I explored the integration of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) and the spiritual practice of focusing on presence, which led me to build the practice I had always envisioned. In June 2021, I opened Videri Counseling Expressions, a space that started as a blank canvas. Each client has added color, depth, and meaning to what I value most in the art of therapy.

A Practice Rooted in Empowerment

I deeply value the present moment, though I know it can feel underwhelming when life is pulling you in a thousand directions. But if you’re here, reading this, would you pause with me for a moment?

Rest your attention softly on your next exhale. No need to change anything—just notice it. Stay with it a little longer. Let your attention settle on the space between exhales. Notice the thoughts that pass.

This moment is always here. Over the years, I’ve known what it’s like to feel that energy outside my control has stolen my joy and hope. A large part of my own healing has been untangling from the fundamentalist evangelical church I grew up in—unraveling the shame, fear, and control that shaped my early experiences of self, relationships, and spirituality. That personal journey is woven into my work, particularly in supporting clients healing from religious trauma, deconstructing harmful belief systems, and reclaiming their own voice and autonomy.

My practice is especially shaped for the queer community, as well as adults seeking empowerment and healing from complex childhood trauma, sexual abuse, religious trauma, family conflict, and relationship issues. I know firsthand the weight of carrying stories that were never meant to be carried alone.

How I Work With Clinicians

Therapists are often taught to prioritize their clients’ needs over their own—to hold space without question, to show up as the “expert,” and to detach from their humanness in the name of professionalism. I believe that’s unsustainable.

Through Videri Counseling Expressions, I work with clinicians who are unlearning burnout, breaking free from rigid therapy models, and redefining what it means to practice in a way that feels aligned, nourishing, and deeply human. Whether you’re navigating professional identity shifts, exploring new therapeutic approaches, or simply trying to reconnect with yourself as a person, not just a therapist, this is a space where you don’t have to hold it all alone.

If you’re a therapist searching for consultation, support, or a different way of being in this field, let’s connect. You deserve to do this work without losing yourself in it.

How I Work With Clients

I approach therapy through a Gestalt lens, which means we work in the present moment, exploring what’s coming up right here, right now. Rather than just talking about problems, we experience them together—how they show up in your body, how they affect your relationships, and how they shape the way you move through the world.

Our work together isn’t about “fixing” you—because you aren’t broken. Instead, we bring awareness to the ways you’ve adapted to survive, the patterns you’re ready to release, and the new ways of being you want to embody. We explore unfinished business, relational dynamics, and emotional blocks, not as abstract concepts, but as felt experiences in the room.

I integrate techniques from:

• Gestalt Therapy – Deepening awareness through present-moment exploration, experiential work, and creative interventions

• Creative Arts Therapy – Expression beyond words through imagery, movement, and metaphor

• Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) – Releasing trauma stored in the nervous system

• Ego-State Communication (IFS/Parts Work) – Exploring the different parts of yourself with curiosity and compassion

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) – Moving toward values-aligned living with flexibility

• Embodiment & Mindfulness Practices – Connecting with your body as a resource for healing

Therapy is not just about insight—it’s about transformation through experience. When we bring awareness to what’s happening in the present moment, we open the door to real choice and change.

If this sounds like the space you’re looking for, I’d love to meet you.