Meet Stephanie

I’ve had a front row seat to the power of therapeutic relationships for as long as I can remember. My childhood was profoundly impacted by who my parents were in the world. My mother was a psychiatric nurse with a career in psychiatric hospitals, prisons, AIDS education and death and dying. As a veterinarian, my father founded the Wild Horse and Inmate Program at the Colorado Department of Corrections—a therapeutic initiative, where incarcerated people learned to gentle and train wild horses. 

 

I witnessed people rediscovering themselves and unearthing a sense of purpose. I saw how discipline and self-mastery were a pathway to something better. The resiliency of the human spirit, against all odds, played out in front of me time and again. 

 

Inspired by my parents' example, I earned a bachelor's degree in Psychology from the University of New Hampshire and a Master of Social Work from California State University, Long Beach. As part of my Masters thesis, I co-designed a pilot study on the effectiveness of school counseling for the US Department of Education. I hold a certificate in Applied Positive Psychology and I am a certified Optimize Coach. 

 

My early-life experience and education gifted me a career—working with people of diverse backgrounds, challenges and life stages.  I have worked with individuals, families, and groups in a variety of settings.  I started as a backpacking guide, bringing teens from inner city Los Angeles into Sequoia National Park, focused on creating impactful and empowering programming to adolescents.  I then moved into school based social work, family reunification services, in-home family therapy, outpatient mental health, and private practice. And perhaps the most rewarding and challenging job of all—I’m also a mother of two. 

 

In a sense, all of these experiences are unique from one another. However, I see many commonalities—the resiliency of the human spirit, our ability to adapt and the importance of thinking big. It’s a bit of a paradox, but each of our experiences are unique and the same, all at the same time. There is no life without conflict, there is no fulfillment without loss and there is no peace without perspective. 
 

I have seen first hand the power of understanding the bigger picture, and know what it takes to bring it more clearly into view. Helping others in their journey is what I find most fulfilling about my own journey. It is the privilege of my life to do this work and to accompany you on the path to your highest self.