About Arise Counseling Services
My passion is working with adults who are dealing with trauma, anxiety, life transitions, and those wanting a change in their lives.
I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Harding University, and my Master’s of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lipscomb University. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor Mental Health Services Provider (LPC-MHSP) in the state of Tennessee. I am trained in EMDR (level 1 & 2), TBRI, and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy.
My Journey Into Mental Health
My path to becoming a therapist started long before I earned my degrees. Like many in this field, I have my own story of benefiting from therapy. "My reason probably started a long time ago in high school, seeking counseling for bullying that was going on at the time," I share. That experience with a phenomenal therapist who worked exceptionally well with teens was transformative—it "pole vaulted me into this world of psychology."
What captivates me most about this field is its unique nature: "We are all part of psychology, walking around in bodies every day. And we are the subject matter. So we get to discover ourselves and help others do the same." This perspective shapes how I approach every session with my clients. Each client is unique and it’s an honorable experience to walk with others in their discovery of themselves the way someone walked with me.
Education and Professional Background
I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Psychology from Harding University, where I fell in love with the subject matter. My professors, who maintained private practices alongside their university roles, spoke with such passion about their work that it ignited a deep curiosity in me. I went on to earn my Master's of Science degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Lipscomb University.
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor Mental Health Services Provider (LPC-MHSP) in the state of Tennessee, with specialized training in:
EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) - Levels 1 & 2
TBRI (Trust-Based Relational Intervention)
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT)
Inner Child and Somatic Work
Arise Counseling Services: Eight Years of Healing
I established Arise Counseling Services approximately eight years ago, building it while gaining experience in various therapeutic settings. Located in Brentwood, Tennessee, my practice has evolved into a specialized space for trauma recovery and personal growth. Throughout this journey, I've worked with "an array of clientele, predominantly focused on trauma therapy."
My Therapeutic Approach and Specializations
Trauma Therapy and EMDR
EMDR is both a popular choice among my clients and my personal preference for trauma work. I explain it to clients this way: "If you've ever watched a child sleep and noticed their eye movements going back and forth in REM sleep, that's their brain categorizing their day, logging things away into long-term memory, basically organizing everything."
With traumatic memories, however, "they get stuck in the fight or flight part of our brain," leading to triggers that can significantly impact daily functioning. EMDR recreates the bilateral stimulation of REM sleep while processing these memories, essentially turning down "the brightness of the impact of those memories."
I often use the analogy of movie theater posters: "When you have a traumatic memory, your brain remembers kind of a snapshot of that memory... it's hurtful to look at it, blinding even. Think of EMDR as your dimmer switch to dim down the brightness of that memory so that we can look at it, examine it, and not have to live in it every day with the hurt and pain impeding functioning."
Additional Therapeutic Modalities
Beyond EMDR, I integrate several evidence-based approaches:
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT): Using the interconnection of behaviors, thoughts, and emotions to process whatever you're experiencing.
Inner Child and Somatic Work: Focusing on reparenting yourself and learning self-regulation. "In our culture, especially in the US, we really love to intellectualize our way around things instead of feeling our way through something. Sometimes that pattern can keep people in therapy for a lot longer than they actually need to be."
Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT): Getting to the root cause of recurring patterns rather than talking around them. As I tell clients, "Talking our way around it usually keeps us in that loop as opposed to going through the pain or through the emotions that are actually a part of it."
Learn more about my trauma therapy services and explore additional insights in my therapy blog.
Who I Help: A Passion for Those Who Serve Others
Although I work with diverse clientele, I have a specific passion for helping individuals who help others—first responders, police officers, nurses, teachers, therapists, and other professionals in helping fields. These individuals are consistently overlooked, and sadly, we often undervalue our own mental health needs.
Helping those who help others impacts not only their quality of life but everyone they serve as well. If we were all more intentional regarding our mental health needs, imagine the ripple effect this could have on our families, work performance, relationships, and even our communities.
Current Trends: Workplace Trauma and Functioning
In recent years, I've observed significant changes in what brings people to therapy. "Most of my clients come in because their functioning is inhibited. They put off going to therapy until their functioning is impacted." Due to COVID and occupational shifts, I've seen "a huge rise in workplace trauma."
Common workplace-related concerns include:
Difficulty maintaining work-life balance
Struggling with boundaries
Needing to process work relationships safely
Managing stress that robs life satisfaction
"Those of us in our personal lives, the people we love the most, and supervisors at work—there's lots of different relationships that usually need a little bit of a shift, and that's usually why they're in my office in the first place."
The Mind-Body Connection: Modern Insights
One of the most significant developments in recent years has been understanding somatic experiences. "Emotions that we don't deal with, tend to live in our bodies, cells, and tissue. They come out in different physical ailments and sometimes even diseases later on in life."
There's a notable link between difficulty expressing emotions and autoimmune issues. "Our body is extremely smart... if you're not going to process emotions and get them out, then the body tends to harbor it. It's the body keeps a score mentality."
My Approach to Generational Healing
Much of my work involves what I call "both and" situations—helping people understand that "parents are still people, and because they're people, they can't always meet every single need." Many clients, particularly those in the Gen X and Millennial age ranges, experienced "generational trauma" where their baby boomer parents came from a generation that "didn't really get the ability to learn how to express their emotions as children."
"They couldn't teach what they didn't know," I explain. This creates a need for reparenting work that helps people "learn how to appropriately express, feel their way through, and actually come out on the other side in letting go of whatever is holding them back."
Read more about generational trauma and reparenting yourself in my therapy blog.
Individual Therapy That Creates Systemic Change
While I specialize in individual therapy, I love how "if you change one part of the system, the whole system has to shift." When clients work on themselves, they often discover that "if something is breaking down, understanding our own role in the system can allow us to show up differently. When we choose to adjust, we then have a more conscious choice about how we would like to relate to systems that haven’t served us."
This approach is particularly effective in relationship dynamics: "If you're able to show up differently, if you're able to regulate yourself... what could happen if your role in that shifted? Would that soften the interaction itself?"
Creating a Safe Space for Healing
My office serves as what I call "a great training ground"—a safe place to process openly without fear of pushback, and to practice new skills before applying them in more challenging relationships. Whether you're dealing with supervisors at work, family dynamics, or personal relationships, therapy provides the opportunity to develop and rehearse healthier patterns.
A Strength-Based Philosophy
I come from a strength-based approach and believe deeply that all my clients have inherent strengths—"we just have to find them and utilize them." My goal is that every client feels "a sense of warmth, safety, and community as I walk alongside you on your journey."
If you're feeling overwhelmed by life's demands, my services aim to introduce clarity, serenity, and self-motivation. I consider counseling my passion, and it's my hope that you experience genuine transformation in our work together.
Taking the First Step
The hardest part of beginning therapy is often that initial phone call to (615) 461-5840. "That phone call is the hardest phone call that most people have to make. But usually, on the other end of the line, is a therapist who’s ready and excited to work with you."
If you're ready to explore therapy or have questions about my approach, I encourage you to reach out. Together, we can work toward the changes you want to see in your life.
Located in Brentwood, Tennessee, Arise Counseling Services provides individual therapy for adults dealing with trauma, anxiety, life transitions, and workplace stress