I was born and raised in the Fargo-Moorhead community and was drawn to the behavioral health field in my early childhood as I watched my own mother struggle with her mental health and substance abuse. If I didn’t tell you, you would have never known what she was battling as she was very successful in her field of work. Unfortunately, my mother passed away due to complications from Cirrhosis of the Liver in 2018. I share this because I have walked the journey of struggling to hold everything together while trying to help someone I care deeply about. I will never project my experiences onto you, but I will use them to try to understand your feelings in a deeper way. As a mother myself and having watched my own mother struggle, family-centered care is at the core of what I do. I strive every day to help individuals, couples, and families work toward healing and having healthy, productive relationships. When you walk into my office, you will be met with compassion, understanding, and without judgement because I know making the decision to come to counseling was not an easy one. Together, we will leverage your strengths to weather the storm that you have been facing.

Professionally, I’m a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor and a Licensed Master’s Addiction Counselor in the state of North Dakota. I am the owner of River Haven Counseling and continue to work with North Dakota Department of Health and Human Services providing crisis work. I’ve been in the behavioral health field for over a decade, working in various settings. My educational background consists of a Master of Science degree in Counseling (2016) and a Master of Public Administration degree (2018) from the University of Mary. I have a strong background in family-based intervention and crisis work; sexual assault, family conflict, and behavioral health. Additionally, I have spent time in adolescent and adult substance use programs, adolescent residential settings, family and couples therapy, and I currently serve on the Board of Directors for the North Dakota Family Based Services Association.

On a personal level, I am a total introvert and enjoy being at home. On the weekends you will more than likely catch me cooking up a mean (and not at all healthy) breakfast for my family, binge-watching reality TV, or walking my two guard-dog wannabes. But my favorite time of day is when my children wake up bright-eyed (and likely too early) in the mornings and having a cup of coffee with my husband before our days begin.