I am a Licensed Master Social Worker and psychotherapist in Michigan with nearly 30 years of experience supporting individuals through life transitions, mental health concerns, identity development, relationship challenges, grief, trauma, anxiety, depression, and personal growth. I am the owner and clinical provider at A Healthier You Counseling Center, PLLC, located in Grand Blanc, Michigan. My approach is compassionate, collaborative, direct when helpful, and grounded in respect for each person’s lived experience.

LGBTQ+ affirming care is both professionally and personally meaningful to me. I understand that LGBTQ+ individuals often enter healthcare and behavioral health spaces carrying previous experiences of misunderstanding, invisibility, judgment, rejection, religious trauma, family conflict, discrimination, or having to educate providers about their identities. My goal is to provide a space where clients do not have to minimize, defend, or over-explain who they are in order to receive competent care.

My clinical work is affirming of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, questioning, intersex, asexual, pansexual, nonbinary, gender diverse, and sexually diverse individuals. I also welcome clients who are exploring identity, coming out later in life, navigating relationship changes, managing family rejection or strained support systems, processing shame, rebuilding self-worth, or seeking therapy from a provider who understands the importance of identity-affirming care. I believe that affirming therapy means more than being “accepting.” It requires cultural humility, awareness of minority stress, recognition of systemic barriers, and an ongoing commitment to providing care that is respectful, informed, and clinically appropriate.

I provide individual psychotherapy for LGBTQ+ adults and allies, with attention to the ways sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, family systems, culture, community, faith background, relationships, and personal history can intersect with emotional well-being. I work with clients on concerns such as anxiety, depression, trauma, grief and loss, self-esteem, relationship stress, workplace stress, life transitions, identity integration, loneliness, boundary-setting, caregiver stress, and coping with discrimination or rejection. I also support clients who are seeking a therapist who can hold both clinical concerns and identity-related experiences without pathologizing either.

My perspective is strengths-based and person-centered. I believe clients are more than their symptoms, diagnoses, or struggles. Many LGBTQ+ people have developed significant resilience, adaptability, empathy, insight, and courage as a result of navigating complex personal and social realities. In therapy, I aim to help clients better understand themselves, reduce distress, strengthen coping skills, clarify values, improve relationships, and move toward a more authentic and emotionally healthy life.

My work is also informed by a strong commitment to ethical practice, privacy, professional boundaries, and inclusive language. I strive to create a therapeutic environment where clients can discuss identity, relationships, sex and intimacy, family dynamics, faith or spirituality, aging, health concerns, community connection, and personal goals without fear of judgment. I understand that LGBTQ+ clients are not a monolithic group, and I do not assume that every person’s needs, experiences, or goals are the same. I approach each client as an individual, with curiosity, respect, and clinical care tailored to their situation.

In addition to my professional training as a master’s-level social worker, I have spent decades working with diverse individuals and communities in clinical, behavioral health, and human service settings. My experience has strengthened my understanding of how emotional health is shaped by family, community, social support, stigma, access to care, and the need for providers who are both clinically skilled and culturally responsive. I remain committed to continued learning in LGBTQ+ affirming practice, trauma-informed care, suicide risk assessment, ethical clinical documentation, and evidence-informed psychotherapy.

At A Healthier You Counseling Center, PLLC, my mission is to help clients feel seen, respected, and supported while working toward meaningful change. For LGBTQ+ clients, that means offering care that honors identity, recognizes resilience, and supports mental health without shame, stigma, or bias. Whether a client is seeking therapy for identity-related concerns or simply wants a therapist who understands and affirms LGBTQ+ lives, I strive to provide a safe, professional, and supportive space for healing, growth, and self-acceptance.