as a child raised in a family affected by trauma and addiction. As the youngest of five siblings I received quite an education observing my family.  I learned about isolation, poor communication, depression, emotional volatility, unmet needs, fear, secrets, shame, etc….  In middle school I was selected to be in a support group for troubled teens.  For English I was required to write a paper on different career paths, and when I learned what Social Work was, I knew what I was going to do with my life.   When I was age 17 my father entered “rehab”, I entered my own therapy, and my family began healing.

 

My professional work began in 1994 as I was finishing my Bachelors of Social Work.  I started working with emotionally and physically traumatized children and their families.  That work took me to schools, clinics, a detention center, and psychiatric hospitals. During those early years of practice, I noticed that therapy for clients seemed to end without whole healing; yes, they left with good coping and acceptance, but their issues were only partially resolved. Some were in a good place emotionally, but dependent on medication. Things were good but not necessarily great.  I began to believe that people ought to be able to find deeper joy and ease with life.  I wondered how to get to the root of healing….

 

In my search for more satisfying resolutions, I discovered Experiential and Adventure therapy while working with foster children and teens involved in the juvenile justice system.  I discovered that when people have their bodies involved in an activity they achieve goals more quickly.  They also experience deeper connections with themselves and others.  I could see that addiction, co-dependency, and trauma are very common in our society, have patterns that are handed down by previous generations, and that these patterns can be broken.

 

In 2000 I both graduated with my Masters from Wayne State University and I found Bioenergetic Therapy. I began the Bioenergetics training program in 2004. I finally knew that I found a way to get to the root cause of "dis-ease."  Our bodies hold the trauma, the secrets, and the answers. 

 

Currently, I am a trainer with the Massachusetts Society for Bioenergetic Analysis, which is a society within the International Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis (IIBA).  I served on the board of trustees with the IIBA from 2020 to 2023.  I am the former treasurer for the North American New Zealand Institute for Bioenergetic Analysis.  I currently chair the conference committee for the IIBA.