I grew up in northern Ohio and was raised with two older siblings and a single parent. Watching my brother protest the war in Viet Nam and observing my favorite aunt irrationally cheer on the Cleveland Indians as they lost a billion games in the 60’s and 70’s gave way to a thought that would guide my professional career: Human behavior- What’s more interesting or fun than that?

I cut my clinical teeth as a therapist in psychiatric hospitals for both adults and adolescents in the 80’s and 90’s. After earning my master’s degree, I became a program director at a pair of residential facility for adolescents that treated kids with both substance and mental health problems. I earned my doctorate from George Fox University in 2000 and completed my internship at Nanitch Sahalie, a residential treatment center for Native American teens in Keizer, OR. My residency was completed at Summit Research Network in Portland, Oregon. My work in clinical research dominated my vocation for 17 years before I moved into full-time private practice in 2017. I no longer see therapy clients and limit my practices to evaluations, only. I am licensed to practice psychology in the state of Washington.