I am originally from rural, northwest Georgia, although I spent a significant portion of my professional life in the Knoxville, Tenn. area, working first at the Helen Ross McNabb Mental Health Center. Following that, I worked as a family therapist for the Peninsula Village Adolescent Residential Treatment Program. I consider that to be where I obtained some of my most valuable clinical knowledge. Upon relocating to the Atlanta area in the late '90s, I worked as a program director for Sunshine Behavioral Health Services. I then chose to continue my career with Kaiser Permanente. I have always enjoyed helping people solve problems, so the choice to enter the mental health field was obvious for me.
I have most recently enjoyed treating adults who are experiencing serious emotional distress either from a psychiatric condition or from very stressful circumstances. I am the program director for Kaiser Permanente's Intensive Outpatient Program (IOP). In that role, I coordinate how the members are assigned to a particular provider or therapy group. When I am not involved in the coordinating activities of the IOP, I also have a small caseload of individual patients. I am available to address issues pertaining to distress over sexual orientation, family/relationship matters and anxiety regarding serious medical conditions, such as cancer and HIV.
When I am not working, I enjoy being an amateur musician and performing on stage by singing, acting or playing the French horn. I have learned that these activities are essential for me to remain refreshed and good at my job. As I emphasize to our members, balance in life is the key!
