About me
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of Illinois. I obtained a Bachelor of Educational Counseling and Psychology and Master of Social Work with an emphasis on mental health from the University of Missouri-Columbia. I provided counseling services from 1988-2001. At that time, I began my career as a birth doula at Carle Hospital until 2005. I then began my independent business, Tree of Life Doula Services and Birth Resources. I was a doula from 2001-2020…I then chose to retire and begin the next chapter of my career.
During my time as a doula, I kept my LCSW active, and took continuing education classes and workshops. As a doula, I applied the skills and knowledge I had obtained as a counselor when interacting with birth clients. My 20 years of counseling and doula work enabled me to meld my experiences in education into this next phase: perinatal counseling.
This brings me to now. My goal is to help women and their support system(s) traverse all they may encounter regarding pre-pregnancy through the postpartum period. Whether it’s attempting to get pregnant, the navigation of loss, the decision to become pregnant, the aftermath of a traumatic birth, the maneuvering of the first year post-birth - there are so many layers that encompass this journey. No matter where you are on the path, I am here to support, encourage, and help you through the detours that may threaten to derail you.
I am here for you.