Meet The Therapist and Founder
Hi! I’m so glad you're here. Reading this page is entirely optional, but if you're someone who likes to know who you are talking to, I’d love to share how I came into this work and bit about me as a person.
Why I Became A Therapist
My journey into this work began early. I was raised by two therapists in an orphanage in rural town in Florida. My parents were the directors of the orphanage and their jobs required that our family live on-site. This meant that the majority of my friends had been severely abused, abandoned, or neglected. Growing up, I didn’t think much of it. But in hindsight, it gave me a front-row seat to both human pain and resilience.
Between my parents being therapists and all of my friends having deeply traumatic experiences, it never occurred to me that talking about emotions was optional. My childhood gave me an early understanding that pain isn’t something rare or distant, it’s part of life.
My education and career journey took me through a process of sifting through what I believed about myself and the world around me. Within this process, I found myself revisiting one belief time and time again: release what you cannot control and harness what you can. And at its core, I think that is what therapy is.
I entertained a few different career options. There were even a few years I was determined to get a PhD in marine mammal science, but ultimately I felt a gravitational pull towards mental health. Surprise, surprise. There are few things in life that have come natural to me, but processing emotions feels almost as instinctual as breathing.
My Education and Credentials
I’m a licensed therapist in the state of Florida.​​ If you would like to know more about my licensure or my education journey, keep reading and if that’s not your thing, feel free to skip ahead to the next section. Becoming a licensed therapist is a multi-step, multi-year process. My specific license is called Licensed Mental Health Counselor (LMHC), and to earn it, you need:
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A bachelor’s degree
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A master’s degree in counseling or a related field
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1,000 hours of supervised clinical work before graduation
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1,500 hours of supervised clinical work after graduation
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A passing score on the National Clinical Mental Health Counseling Exam (NCMHCE)​
Undergraduate Training
When I was 18, I left my hometown in Florida and moved to California to pursue my bachelor's degree. While I loved the West Coast, I found myself questioning what I believed about the world, about relationships, and about myself. This process of untangling and reevaluating clarified my desire to help others navigate their inner world. I graduated with a bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Cultural Anthropology.
Graduate and Professional Training
​After my completing my bachelor's degree, I moved home and graduated with a master's degree in Mental Health Counseling from The University of Florida (UF). As part of my graduate training, I completed 1,000 internship hours providing therapy services at UF Psychiatric Hospital and local high schools in Gainesville, Florida.
After graduating from UF, I completed 1,500 supervised clinical hours working in a group therapy practice in Orlando, Florida. Supervision during this stage meant meeting regularly with an experienced clinician who helped guide my professional growth. Once I completed those hours and passed my licensure exam, I became fully licensed to practice independently.
From there, I founded Philosophie Therapy with the intention of providing bespoke therapy services fueled by kindness, transparency, and integrity.
If You're Interested...
When I'm not in session, I invest in the people and things that bring me joy. Here are a few of my favorites: ​​​
Love and Friendship. The small circle of relationships I have cultivated mean more to me than anything else. I was lucky enough to fall in love in high school and never fall out of it. My husband and I have now been together for twelve years and married for seven. My friendships are also incredibly important to me. I’ve come to understand that, as simple or cliché as it may sound, quality really is more meaningful than quantity. Accepting that truth has completely shifted my approach to happiness. While I’ve heard many people say that relationships are hard work, I’ve found that love doesn’t have to be hard, but it does ask for care and intentionality.
Celebration. I also love celebrating just about anything life offers. Birthdays, baby showers, holidays, tiny milestones, anything really. You’re likely to find me hanging streamers in my apartment on a Tuesday.
Travel. Travel brings me so much inspiration and happiness. I try to plan at least one international trip each year (and I am very grateful to be able to do so). I have found the ability to explore the world to be one of my life’s greatest gifts. My favorite places I have traveled so far are Bad Gastein in Austria, Villefranche-sur-Mer in France, and Point Dume State Beach in Malibu, California.
Crafting. I love trying to make pretty things. I’ve tried painting, baking, crocheting, jewelry making, sculpting, and even a little interior design. Lately, I’ve been obsessed with French beading, a technique that involves shaping glass beads on wire to sculpt plants and flowers.
Animals. I absolutely love animals. I once thought I’d build my whole career around working with them, but I found that kind of work to be a bit too emotionally intense for me (which is probably funny coming from a therapist, but we all have our strengths). Today, I have two rescue dogs, Juniper and Meadow, who bring so much joy and grounding to my life. I found them six years apart, both on highways in Florida, and neither one was ever claimed. Juniper naps in my office for almost every session and Meadow makes an appearance on occasion if she is feeling particularly calm.
If you read this, I appreciate your time and I would love to meet you. Feel free to send me a message or book a free phone call to learn more about my therapy services.