I began helping others back in 1988 when I began to volunteer at a suicide hotline as a way to overcome my own social anxiety and to build a new network of friends. Initially I was a volunteer, but I eventually became a trainer and after 6 years of volunteering I decided to turn my passion into my career.  After graduating from Loyola University in 1996 I worked with the homeless community that also were diagnosed with addiction and HIV.  I designed and ran the first 30-day treatment program for individuals with HIV in 1997 and I spent 10 years working with the homeless.

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During the years of working with addiction I noticed that many individuals struggled with emotions that they had difficulty tolerating or that they had difficulty returning to a baseline emotional level after an upsetting event. I felt that more focus was needed to be given to the underlying emotions and a focus on developing coping skills with the individual. The goal of this was to reduce both the intensity of the emotions as well as decrease the duration that they lasted. This proved beneficial for individuals to maintain sobriety, reduce anxiety and depression while at the same time learning to slow their reaction time so that they do not lash out, which often lead to them hurting others or themselves. 

 

I moved to Seattle in 2007 and I lived there for 6 years. I took advantage of my time in Seattle by attending the Linehan’s foundational training for Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) before it was offered as a certification. I spent 2 years in training and I ran DBT groups for an outpatient facility for 3 years before returning to Chicago. Since returning to Chicago in 2013 I have continued to utilize DBT as a focus of my private practice to address addiction, personality disorders and emotion regulation. 

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I am a member of the LGBT+ community.

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I am owned by a yellow Labrador.