Originally from California, I moved here with my husband 30 years ago, so New England feels like my home. I have worked as Beaver’s Middle School Counselor since 2015. I love being the counselor for our 6th-8th graders. I approach every student with compassion and understanding with the goal of helping students feel empowered to develop solutions to their problems. I provide individual and group counseling around mental health and social issues and offer day-to-day support as needed. Additionally, I am responsible for teaching wellness classes and providing lunchtime programming, such as RISE and Graham Dam. RISE is a program where I teach students ways to deal with stress in helpful ways. There is always a fun craft to make it a relaxing, creative, and supportive place for students during their school day. Students attend Graham Dam, a special lunch with me and a group of students, a few times a year. The goal of Graham Dam is for students to get to know me better so they will feel more comfortable connecting if the time arises when they need support.

I have a graduate degree in Counseling Psychology from Lesley University and a license in Child and Family Therapy. I started my career at Family Service of Greater Boston doing in-home family therapy and then worked at Boston Children’s Hospital for 10 years providing support to children and families. I also worked in Boston Public Schools and several  Catholic schools on the North Shore providing school counseling services. 

In addition to being married, I have two adult daughters who are my pride and joy. We have two dogs, Shiloh and Millie, and one cat, Simba. It’s a small zoo at my house. I enjoy sailing on our sailboat, Enya, and being outdoors. 

People always ask, “How and why do you work with middle schoolers?” My response is usually a smile followed by a small laugh and something like, “You never know what you are going to get.”