When I was eleven years old my father died of a sudden heart attack. It was a trauma that I could not comprehend at such a young age. However, I knew in high school that I wanted to help children and families talk about life’s grief and trauma. In the words of William Shakespeare: “Give sorrow words. The grief that does not speak whispers in the o’er fraught heart and bids it break.”
I am a Licensed Professional Counselor specializing in individual, couples and family therapy. I have created a unique process called Authenticity Architecture designed to help you reconstruct your authentic self and live your best life.
Being a mother of four thirty-something children, and a grandmother to three beautiful little humans has taught me many things about relationships and our emotional self. Drs. Margaret and Jordan Paul sum it up:
“Children are our Divine Teachers. When we fail to see their light, it is our vision that needs clearing.”
With thirty-plus years of combined experience as a mother, educator, author and psychotherapist, I have developed a well-seasoned approach for helping individuals, couples and families break through barriers to personal freedom and authentic growth. An evolution of consciousness for individuals and groups.
In addition to working as an psychotherapist in private practice and hospital settings, my work experience has included developing parent education and support group programs for pediatric practices and women’s centers; teaching undergraduate and graduate level classes in early childhood development at Old Dominion University and Naropa University; and developing, directing and consulting with mentoring programs for Boulder Valley School District and The University of Colorado.
Currently, I own and operate Authenticity Architects in Boulder, Colorado where I help individuals, couples and families meet the challenges of today’s world.
Education
Union Institute and University, Cincinnati, Ohio: PhD in Psychology; November 2002
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, Virginia; MS in Early Childhood Education; August 1991
James Madison University, Harrisonburg, Virginia; BS in Special Education; May 1981
License, Certifications & Awards
Licensed Professional Counselor; Colorado, 2000
Certified Teacher, Special Education and Early Childhood Education; CO, 2000
Certified Teacher, Special Education and Early Childhood Education; VA, 1981
Certified MARI Practitioner, 1996
Presentations and Publications
Published Author–
Living in the Shadow of the Too-Good Mother Archetype, Wyatt-MacKenzie Publishing, March 2014
Keynote Speaker —
Representative presentations include, but are not limited to:
Appomattox Elementary School, Spring 1983, “Behavior Management in the Classroom”
King’s Grant Presbyterian Church, May 1991, “A Mother’s Day Today”
Hampton Elementary School, September 1991, “Children and Stress”
The Beach Day School, February 1993, “Discipline in the 90s”
Virginia Head Start Association Conference, March 1993, “Positive Parenting”
The Chesapeake Mothers’ Center, September 1993, “Positive Discipline”
The CHADD Organization, October 1993, “Behavior Management and ADHD”
Bellamy Manor Preschool, March 1994, “Children Learn What WE Live”
The Newport News Recreation Center, May 1995, “Positive Discipline”
The Mom’s Group of Kempsville, May 1996, “Sensitive Discipline”
The Fellowship Center, May 1997, “The Heart of the Mother”
Christopher Farms Elementary School, February 1998, “Self-Esteem and Children”
Virginia Beach Public Schools, March-May 1998, “Guiding Children, Freeing Spirits”
The MOMS group, April 1998, “How to Discipline Without Breaking the Spirit”
Boulder, Colorado, April 2005, “Perfect Moms Get Real”
MOPS Group, September 2005 “New Millennium Moms”
Broomfield/Boulder, Colorado, April/November 2006 & 2007 “New Millennium Moms-Mothering Beyond Image”
Boulder, Colorado, May and November 2006 & 2007, “Circles of Self: Introduction to the Mandala”
Boulder, Colorado, August 2007: “Exploring Dreams” with Billie Ortiz
Platt Middle School, October 2007—“Bullying and Cliques”
Boulder Psychological Services, September 2008—“Parenting Middle School Age Children”
Boulder Psychological Services, October 2009-“The Magic of Mentoring”
Boulder, CO, July 2011 & March 2012-“Mothering Beyond Image”
Boulder Institute of Psychotherapy Research, July 2014- “Raising Souls, Not Soldiers.”
CWWN Meeting, Boulder, CO August 2014–#DoingItAll
Boulder County Day School, Boulder, CO March 2015–“When Good Enough Isn’t Enough”
Boulder Quaker Friends Meeting, Boulder, CO August 2015–“There Art of Sensitive Discipline”
PESI Seminars, NJ, OH, PA, AZ, CA, CT, RI, NY, CO, WA~ August 2017–October 2019–“Toxic Shame in Clinical Practice”
Sandstone Cares, Denver, CO, September 2018–“Toxic Shame in Clinical Practice”
Featured Journalist – Previously authored monthly articles for The Hampton Roads Shopper special section entitled “For the Love of Children;” wrote articles for the Children’s Hospital of the King’s Daughters Newsletter and The Foster Parenting Newsletter. Currently a featured journalist for The Museum of Motherhood; The Women’s Network; The Shriver Report; Good Enough Mother; Left Hand Valley Courier and Happy Parenting.
Some representative titles include:
Is It Dangerous, Destructive or Rude?: Managing Problem Behavior
The “Terribly Terrific” Two Year Old; Attention Deficit Disorder
A Daughter’s Gift; New Year of Choices
Coping with the Reality of Fantasy
One School, Two Houses; The Cycle of Life-Death- Life
Spare the Rod, Spoil the Child? Why This Isn’t True
The Importance of Feelings
Take Time For Yourself
A Mother’s Day Today
Nourishing Self-Esteem; One Special Teacher
Ask a Simple Question, Get Many Different Answers
Start the School Year with Structure and Routine
