Hello, and thank you for taking the time to visit New Leaf Counseling. I understand that finding the right counselor for your specific needs can be a difficult task, so I believe it is helpful to give you a little bit of information about myself for you to get a sense of who I am and how I operate as a counselor.

I have lived in this area since 1985, and I love that I can call Kansas City my home! I attended the University of Kansas, where I received my Bachelor of Arts in psychology, and focused on working with children with special needs. Soon after graduating, I married my best friend, Mendy, and have celebrated over 29 years of marriage. We are blessed to have two incredible sons and we genuinely enjoy spending quality time with them. Interestingly enough, counseling was not my original career path; after we were married, I launched my own catering business, but after 16 years of working 60-80 hour weeks, missing out on far too many family events, and experiencing some challenging personal struggles, I wrestled with making many significantly detrimental life choices.

Simply put, I was self-destructing, and our marriage was in ruins. We separated, and divorce was imminent. By the grace of God, and as the result of much hard work, personal healing, and tremendously wise counsel, restoration and transformation occurred in our marriage. Soon after, I found myself drawn into a new passion for helping people who were struggling with many of the same things I had dealt with for years, as well as an eagerness to facilitate healing in marriages that were in crisis as ours had been. After much prayer and processing with my wife and trusted mentors, we decided that I would return to school in pursuit of my Masters in Counseling from Midwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Kansas City, Missouri. 

As a counselor, I recognize that everyone has a story and different reasons for seeking therapy. I strive to establish a safe environment that facilitates the development of a collaborative relationship so that we may adequately assess the current (and past) issues, set goals, and achieve growth. I want my clients to know that I too have personally encountered many of the same problems that might bring them into counseling; therefore it's beneficial that they know my frame of reference does not come just from theory or training, but also from actual life experiences.

I am passionate about helping people who are hurting, and I strive to provide guidance and wise counsel, bring about restoration, facilitate transformation, and point people to Christ. It is important to note that Christian values inform my approach to therapy as well as my world-view in general and that I hold firmly to the image of God in every person, recognizing the importance of individuals maintaining their worldview. I am skilled in helping anyone dealing with abandonment, neglect, abuse, trauma, anger, forgiveness issues, fractured self-esteem, infidelity, and marriages in crisis. Additionally, I help clients struggling with a variety of topics such as co-dependency, boundary issues, pornography addiction, depression, anxiety, and stress.

Please feel free to contact me by clicking the "Get Started" button if you have any questions.

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