Who I am
First and foremost I’m a person in long-term recovery. What that means to me is that I haven’t had a mood or mind altering substance since July 13 of 2016. That journey reaffirmed an earlier desire to become a therapist. It also made me a much better student and helped me finally graduate.
Secondly, I’m married, a son, a father, have a dog, and am grateful for a widespread network of friends. These relationships help me continue to learn about others, myself, and the world. Most importantly they’re a springboard for experiencing joy and a whole bevy of other emotions.
Thirdly, and most relevant to you, I’m a therapist. It’s been a job I’ve wanted since my first introduction to psychology during a 10th grade summer camp. It’s a job I love and strive to improve in. Its a true privilege to get to perform this work.
Lastly, I love to travel, watch sports, read, and attend live music.
Why I’m qualified
I graduated UGA with a Bachelor’s in Psychology and Philosophy in 2018. I’ve always been fascinated by the human mind and wanted to learn more about it and the way I/others think. Surprisingly, these questions were answered more in my philosophy coursework than my psychology load. Anyways, I was pretty dang sure I wanted to be a therapist, but figured it’d be wise to take a year to work in the field before committing to a graduate program.
So that year I worked at several local substance treatment centers. I loved the work, but I wanted to do more 1on1 work than those positions allowed. I also wanted to help treat a variety of issues outside of just substances. My previous wisdom ended as I only applied to UGA’s Masters of Counseling program. I luckily learned the lesson of placing eggs in different baskets with hindsight and not the pain of rejection; I got in.
I graduated that program in 2021. Since then I’ve maintained a consistent caseload. After graduation, I was at a group private practice, The Banyan Tree. I worked here up until May of 2025, when I moved out of Athens and started my own practice.
How I can help
Sorry for saving the most relevant section for last. But it’s important for you to know what I’m brining to the table. Fit is everything in productive therapy.
I lean heavily into existential, DBT, and EMDR with my work. In laymen terms, I mix together a caring relationship, accountability, practical coping skills/general strategies, and a focus on purpose. I find this beneficial to a lot of my caseload. But I’m flexible. I adapt my style/approach to meet my clients. It’s about finding what works best.
I’m most specialized in substance concerns, trauma, college-aged problems, depression, and anxiety. That being said, I’ve worked to good effect with a variety of other difficulties such as process addictions, grief, bipolar, BPD, and more.
I believe honesty is essential for the work and is a two-way street. If the client is to be honest so is the counselor. This means that sometimes I may say things that you may not want to hear; however, if this occurs, it is strictly coming from a desire to be of maximum helpfulness to your journey. You are the authority of yourself, and while I may give my perspective or thoughts, ultimately what you say goes. This includes the goals that you set. My job is to help achieve the change you want, not to direct it!
I also believe that you must own your story, otherwise your story will own you. We will own it by looking at your past and reframing it into a more positivist perspective. We can turn it from a liability into an advantage. The therapeutic relationship is a priority and ideally, we will become a collaborative team. I believe the best thing in life is to be happy, with a peaceful mind and a joyous heart. This will be our ultimate aim. My personal goal will be to help unlock the parts that you already have, so you can move towards this potential.
I do want to point out, that therapy is an active process. It’s much more than just talk (although that can be work in itself). The 167 hours between our sessions will be vital towards therapy being successful.
Contact Me
Interested in working together? Any questions? Fill out some info and I will be in within 2 business days. Ideally we can find a time to set up a 5-15 minute phonecall to verify it’s a good fit and then we can get the ball rolling!