Welcome!
The information throughout this site tells you a little about me in an effort to increase comfort and familiarity as you consider working with me.
At a glance
I am a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Denver, Colorado. For over 20 years, as a mental health counselor, I have worked with individuals, couples, and families dealing with a variety of concerns. While I work with several clinical issues, my specialties include loss and grief counseling, trauma therapy, counseling for fertility concerns, and counseling for families dealing with prolonged conflict after divorce.
Curious to know more about me and my practice?
What do the letters after my name mean?
When I was in training to become a therapist, I didn’t care about all the titles, associations, and letters someone could add behind their name—in fact, I still don’t! However, I have learned through my experience that some of the letters are necessary designations. So here is an explanation of the letters you see behind my name (and those of some of other counseling practitioners).
Ph.D.—this designation means that I have a doctorate in philosophy within a certain academic field. My specialization in graduate school was family counseling and my master’s degree focused on marriage and family therapy. Having a Ph.D. degree means one generally has to complete a significant research project and dissertation to report on the foundations, results, and conclusions stemming from the research.
PLLC—this means that I have formed a corporation for legal reasons under the laws of the state. Individuals and agencies can submit for the same LLC (or PLLC) status.
LMFT/Licensed Marriage & Family Therapist—while not all mental health practitioners in the state of Colorado need a license to practice, those who are licensed have completed many clinical hours, have passed a licensure exam, and have met other criteria outlined by the State of Colorado Department of Regulatory Agencies. Having an LMFT denotes my background as one that specifically focused on working with couples and families and signifies that, at the time I became licensed, I had accumulated over 1000 hours of professional experience working with couples and families. That was over 10 years ago and I've accumulated more since that time.
EMDR—this stands for Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing. Specialized training is necessary to use this type of therapeutic modality. See the page heading “EMDR” for additional information.
Other definitions you might see with mental health practitioners
M.S., M.A.—these abbreviations signify that the person has achieved a master’s degree in a special area of graduate training.
MSW—this is an abbreviation denoting one has achieved a master’s degree in the field of social work specifically.
LPC—this abbreviation stands for Licensed Professional Counselor and signifies that the person has achieved all the requirements to officially call themselves a Licensed Professional Counselor within the state of Colorado.
LCSW—this abbreviation signifies that the person is licensed in Colorado as a Clinical Social Worker and has met the licensure requirements.
Psy.D.—this designation is similar to Ph.D. It signifies a person who has completed a doctorate in clinical psychology. There are some differences in the requirements between Ph.D. programs and Psy.D. programs; ultimately, good clinicians come out of both types.
CAC—stands for Certified Addiction Counselor. Someone who maintains this designation meets the training and experience requirements to work with populations affected by addiction. While they seem to work particularly with drug and alcohol addiction, they will likely understand the dynamics of other addictive tendencies as well.
*There are many abbreviations and there are not necessarily ones that are better than another. Knowing what these designations mean can help you make informed choices about the qualifications you want in a mental health professional. These abbreviations can signify the philosophical stance someone experienced in their graduate training and the letters can also denote the criteria (professional, legal, or otherwise) they have met for their professional work.