I was introduced to the wonders of the wilderness at a young age. My father took my sister and I camping, hiking, and fishing back as early as I can remember. I was taught the importance of conservation. I have always enjoyed being in the presence of areas not yet overdeveloped and disengaged from nature. I had a passion for animals as well, wild, and domestic, which also influenced the direction of my education.

My undergraduate degree is from Texas A&M University in Wildlife and Fisheries Sciences with a concentration in Wildlife Ecology and Conservation. I also attained a minor is psychology. I started out with helping a graduate student conduct research on Dune Sagebrush lizards. I used my wildlife management knowledge while in an AmeriCorps program called American Conservation Experience (ACE) where I helped with habitat restoration, trail building and maintenance, and fuels management. My final employment as a field biologist prior to going to graduate school was for an environmental consulting firm. I primarily managed areas during construction to relocate and protect wildlife, more specifically an endangered species of desert tortoise.

You might think, weird, a wildlife and fisheries degree with a psych minor, and now a therapist? Unfortunately, the morals and ethical expectations of the environmental consulting firm I worked for did not line up with mine, I became burned out, and never reached out for help or support for myself. At the time I did not even know it was an option. I decided to go to graduate school for a different direction. While working as a field biologist I also realized I enjoyed helping and supporting the individuals struggling around me, so I applied to the master’s level Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Sam Houston State University. Throughout the program my overall long-term goal was to find a way to integrate therapy with nature. I am now turning that into a reality. I’d like to help clients utilize the healing abilities of nature with goal-oriented therapy.