What types of clients do you especially enjoy working with?

Relationships are definitely my favorite. People usually hear that and think I mean couples, and I do love working with couples. But honestly, relationships are everywhere.

The relationship you have with your spouse.
Your parents.
Your kids.
Your coworkers.

Even the relationship you have with yourself.

When one of those relationships starts feeling healthier, it usually has a ripple effect into the others. I love watching that happen.

How would you describe your counseling style?

Pretty laid back. I’m not the therapist who’s going to stare at you silently while you wonder if you’re supposed to keep talking.

We laugh a lot. Sometimes people are surprised by that because they think therapy is supposed to be serious all the time.

Now don’t get me wrong. We absolutely have hard conversations. We cry. We talk about painful things.

But life is funny sometimes too, and I think it’s okay for therapy to make room for both.

I also ask a lot of questions. Like…a lot.

Not because I’m trying to stump anybody. I’m genuinely curious. I’m usually trying to understand how you got from Point A to Point B because once we understand that we can decide whether that way of thinking is still helping you.

If someone has never been to therapy before, what would you want them to know?

Probably that you’re overthinking it. I say that because almost everybody who comes in for the first time apologizes.

“I don’t know where to start.”

“My thoughts are all over the place.”

“I probably sound crazy.”

And I always kind of laugh because…that’s literally my job.

You don’t have to know what to say. Seriously. We’ll figure it out together.

What does a first counseling session with you typically look like?

Honestly, it’s usually a lot more relaxed than people expect.

I think people picture me sitting there with a clipboard firing off questions like it’s some kind of interview.

It’s really not like that.

I’m just getting to know you. What’s been going on? What made you decide now was the time to come in? What do you wish was different six months from now?

By the end of that first session, my hope is that you’re thinking, “Okay…that wasn’t nearly as scary as I made it in my head.”

What's one misconception people have about therapy?

Probably that I’m going to spend the whole session telling you what to do.

If only it were that easy.

I mean, think about it. If I spend an hour telling you exactly what I think you should do, what happens the next time life throws you something and I’m not sitting beside you?

My goal isn’t for you to need me forever. My goal is for you to understand yourself well enough that eventually you trust your own judgment.

What advice would you give someone who's been thinking about starting therapy but keeps putting it off?

I’d probably ask them what they’re waiting on.

Because most people aren’t putting it off because they don’t want help.

They’re afraid they’ll cry.
They’re afraid they’ll be judged.
They’re afraid their problems aren’t “bad enough.”

And honestly? I’ve never had somebody leave my office and say, “I wish I’d waited another year before coming.”

Usually, it’s the opposite.

You don’t have to earn the right to ask for support.

What do you hope every client feels after leaving your office?

That somebody gets it.

Not because I know exactly what it’s like to be you. I don’t.

But I do want people to feel like they don’t have to spend our whole session convincing me that what they’re experiencing is real.

And I hope they leave thinking maybe this isn’t as hopeless as it felt walking in.

What makes Ember & Oak Counseling different from other practices?

You know, I have a hard time answering that because there are a lot of really good therapists out there, and I don’t think it’s helpful to compare myself to them.

What I can tell you is how I approach therapy.

One thing I tell every client during their first session is, “Don’t schedule your next appointment before you’ve had time to think about today.”

Take a day or two.

Think about how you felt.

Think about whether you felt comfortable.

Because I might not be your cup of tea.

And that’s okay.

I’m not trying to be everybody’s therapist.

I try really hard to show up authentically as myself because I think every therapist should. If that’s a good fit for you, wonderful.

If it’s not, I will absolutely help you find somebody who is.

You are not going to hurt my feelings.

Therapy isn’t about protecting me.

It’s about helping you find the person you feel safe enough to trust.

Because if you’re spending all your energy wondering whether I’m the right fit, we’re not spending that energy working on why you came here in the first place.

What does healing mean to you?

I think people sometimes imagine healing as getting to a place where nothing bothers you anymore.

I don’t think that’s realistic.

To me, healing is when the things that used to completely knock you off your feet don’t have quite as much power anymore.

You still remember what happened.

You just don’t feel like your past gets to drive the car anymore.

What's something you hope every client remembers after working with you?

I hope they remember that they were never broken… or as stuck as they thought they were.

Sometimes people come into therapy convinced that this is just who they are.

“I’ve always been anxious.”

“I’ve always struggled in relationships.”

“I’ve always thought this way.”

And I love watching people realize…

“Maybe that’s not actually who I am. Maybe that’s just what I’ve learned.”

There’s a lot of hope in that.

Why did you choose the name Ember & Oak Counseling?

People ask me this a lot.

An ember is small, but it’s also powerful. Even when a fire looks like it’s gone out, an ember means there’s still something there. There’s still hope.

An oak is almost the opposite.

It grows slowly.

It develops deep roots.

It weathers storms.

I think healing looks a little like both.

Sometimes people come in barely hanging onto that little spark that says, “Maybe life could be different.”

My hope is that, over time, they leave with deeper roots than they had when they walked in.