LGBT therapists in Springfield, MO

As an independently licensed professional counselor, counselor educator, and supervisor, I believe that everyone deserves a space where they can feel heard, supported, and accepted. I've been practicing for 15 years and hold a master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling, a doctorate in Counselor Education, and a Fellowship in Thanatology with specialized expertise in grief and loss. As a member of the LGBTQIA+ community and someone with AuDHD, I bring both professional knowledge and lived experience to my work. My goal is to create a warm, affirming environment where you can show up as your authentic self and move toward meaningful change.

I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in the states of South Carolina and Missouri, as well as a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapy Supervisor, AAMFT approved. I have loved working with individuals, couples, and families over the past 15 years of practice!

Taking New Clients June 8th!

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor and owner of Horizon Within Counseling. I work with children, teens, adult, couples and families, helping navigate anxiety, stress, trauma, life transitions, and relationship challenges. I offer a warm, collaborative and solution-focused approach , using evidence-based practices including EMDR to help clients feel empowered, build resilience, and move forward with greater purpose and balance.

I get to know each client individually, so we can work collaboratively to come up with goals that we work toward at your pace, ebbing and flowing as your needs change. My clinical experience has included intensive in-home crisis stabilization therapy, complex trauma treatment, solution-focused brief therapy, and treatment of dual-diagnoses.

I moved to St. Louis, MO from Tampa, FL in 2019 to study Social Work at Washington University, and chose to make a home here with my spouse, child, and pets. I spend most of my leisure time cooking, gardening, reading, hiking, and going on crafting sprees. I also love to travel away from home, in search of grand museums and new foods.

Hi. I'm glad you found me!

I have been in the social work field for 30 years working with children and families. I have a BS in Psychology and a Masters in Social Work. I've been a social worker since 1995 and a licensed therapist since 2011. I believe it's important to have a safe and comfortable place to process how you are feeling.

Sometimes life changes in ways you never expected. Whether you're navigating anxiety, depression, grief, trauma, the transition into parenthood, or the emotional demands of caring for others, it's easy to lose sight of yourself while trying to keep everything together. You don't have to face those challenges alone. For more than 20 years, I've partnered with individuals experiencing anxiety, depression, grief and loss, women's issues, and trauma, helping them build resilience, strengthen relationships, and rediscover hope during life's most difficult seasons. Working with children, adolescents, and adults, I strive to create a compassionate, supportive space where you feel genuinely heard, respected, and empowered to move toward lasting healing.

I work to provide you a safe, non-judgmental environment in which to work. Each of us are unique and complex. I see my job as helping you to develop tools and skills to deal with your complex life. I am able to help you in the areas of anxiety, depression, motivation, substance use concerns, self-esteem and confidence, grief/loss, and adapting to life changes, to name a few. My goal is to be approachable, accepting, and act as a guide through the process. Much of our power to be happy or unhappy depends on our ability to put our experiences in perspective and find our own path to heal.

We will focus on the strengths you have and how I can help you grow through changing self-defeating thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. We will work together to identify your goals, what the barriers are to moving forward, and developing needed skills to navigate through or around barriers. We are all human and at times need the help from an objective party to get through our struggles and to grow stronger!

I am curious and validating, providing a nurturing environment to talk openly and honestly about your struggles, strengths, weaknesses, needs, likes, and dislikes. I love helping people explore their unique and particular powers as well as how these powers impact their world and their relationships. As a passionate supporter of those who have been through unjust or otherwise traumatic experiences--including those experiencing discrimination based upon race or gender identity or sexual orientation--I am particularly interested in helping people gain skills for dealing with, and making sense of, the remnants of their pasts.

Having completed Bessel Van der Kolk's Trauma Research Foundation's Certificate in Traumatic Stress Studies in early 2025, I have a strong foundational understanding of the most cutting edge approaches to treating trauma. I am also comfortable using a combination of approaches, including Psychodynamic, Gestalt, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy. I received an MSW from the University of Pennsylvania, a psychodynamically focused program, after which I completed Bryn Mawr's certificate program in psychodynamic psychotherapy. I have also completed 1 year of Gestalt Therapy training and the Acceptance and Commitment Therapy Immersion Program.

As an LCSW, my training emphasized the role of social environment--from the family to society at large--in how we construct our narratives, enabling me to help you make sense of what in your life is yours to own and what is a product of your environment.

You can be successful, capable, and still feel like your mind is working against you. Anxiety may have you replaying conversations for hours, ADHD can make everyday responsibilities feel unnecessarily difficult, or obsessive thoughts may leave you questioning things you know shouldn’t need this much attention. You might also be navigating your sexuality, feeling caught between who you are and what your family expects, or noticing depression pulling you away from relationships and things you once enjoyed. I work with adults, teens, couples, and families who want to understand why these patterns keep happening instead of simply learning to tolerate them. You deserve a space where your identity and experiences are understood without judgment. Together, we’ll work toward feeling more comfortable with yourself and more connected to the people who matter to you.