About

Years ago I received a toxic electrical shock from a washing machine in our home. The shock sent my heart into cardiac arrest and I was revived through open chest, internal heart massage. (Here’s a link to an article about it at Kershaw Health) Not long after I left the hospital I started to realize that I couldn’t remember my past or even the meaning of certain words.

I wanted to talk about what happened, but no one did. I wanted to know about who I used to be. I wanted to know why my view of the world seemed out of step with the people around me because it seemed that I was always seeing the missing elements of something before I’d see what was obvious.

Not talking made me question the reality of what I was feeling. From my own failures, questioning and study I came to appreciate the value of putting emotions into words.

So, after working eight years in the corporate world and publishing a local parenting newspaper called ChildSource, I left to pursue a master’s degree in counseling.

I counseled oncology patients and their families at Palmetto Health Richland, volunteered as a child counselor for their Good Grieving program and served on the cancer center’s Board of Directors. And, during my internship at Palmetto Baptist, I started a Medical Family Therapy program, counseling infertility patients and hosting support groups.

During the events of September 11, and while working on my doctoral degree, I wrote Jake’s Journey, a sketchbook for children. I hosted community events and used the sketchbook to help parents discuss complicated emotions with their children. I’ve served on the American Heart Association’s Executive Leadership Team and conducted workshops for their Go Red Campaigns.

In 2010, I hosted a program for women to learn about the connection between their emotions and their hearts. I’m also associated with the South Carolina Collaborative Divorce group and provide workshops for children and their parents to express how they feel about the divorce. I’m also associated with the Southeastern Institute for Women in Politics. (Here’s a link to my full CV)

Specialty Training:

  • Medical Family Therapy - University of Rochester School of Medicine and Dentistry, Rochester, New York.
  • Strategic Therapy - Family Therapy Institute, Washington, DC.
  • Cognitive Therapy - Beck Institute for Cognitive Therapy, Pennsylvania.

Member:

  • American Association of Marriage and Family Therapy
  • American Psychological Association
  • Collaborative Family Healthcare Association
  • International Association of Collaborative Professionals