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As a runner at heart, previous high school track athlete, and former semi-professional barrel racer, I have had the pleasure of competing with my peers as a team, while also understanding the unique aspect of a competition as an individual athlete. I reveled in the support I received from my teammates during track meets and have very clear memories that support during a state championship pursuit during high school. After chronic injuries and a difficult relationship with my head coach, I stopped running and instead chose to focus on my semi-pro rodeo career. During my time rodeoing, my 22-year-old horse, Breeze, and I flew up and down the arenas in various states, including here in Fort Worth, Texas. At the Fort Worth Stockyards, we stunned the crowd as we won our first National Championship together on a horse twice the age of his competitors. There is nothing in the world that can ever compare to the thrill of competition; so much so that as I write this, I feel my heart pumping reminiscing on my runs.
Having spent time in the Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation Department, I was awed at the resilience and fight of the human spirit as my patients struggled to regain their physical strength. I have learned over the years that whether someone is struggling with anxiety, depression, other serious mental health concerns such as bipolar or post-traumatic stress disorder, or even reduced performance, motivation difficulties, and/or rehabilitation and recovery stress, many times, clients have the answers they need, they simply need help stepping out of their own way.
Education
- California School of Professional Psychology
- 2017 - Doctor of Clinical Psychology – 2017
- 2015 - Master of Clinical Psychology
- The University of Nevada, Las Vegas
- 2011 - Bachelor of Arts in Psychology
Pre/Post Graduate Training
- The University of Texas Health Science Center at Tyler -
- 2022 – 2023: Postdoctoral Clinical Health Psychology Fellowship
- Emphasis on Performance Psychology in injury and recovery, metabolic, and sports psychology
- Populations: Life span, including university students and student-athletes
- 2021 – 2022: Integrated Behavioral Health Internship
- Emphasis on neuropsychology, clinical diagnostics, and integrated behavioral health
- The University of California, Davis – UC Davis Medical Center
- 2019 – 2021: Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation
- Injury and recovery from major medical trauma: traumatic brain injury, severe spinal cord injuries, burns, physical and emotional trauma – amputations, disabling injuries, stroke, cardiovascular injuries
- Mental Health and Sports Psychology Services
- 2018 – 2019: Outpatient psychotherapy
- Emphasis on clinical diagnostics in an outpatient psychotherapy setting
- Anxiety, Depression, Bipolar, Schizophrenia Spectrum, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and many others.
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To have the desire to work with athletes on a psychological level means I understand the importance of the mental side of sports. However, it wasn’t something I learned until the middle of my collegiate career at UT Tyler. I remember when our team character coach pointed out that although I wasn’t the most athletic or physically imposing player on the court, my success came from my ability to remain calm under pressure, leadership through effective communication with teammates, and always outthinking my opponent. He showed me the value I brought to the team in ways that didn’t show up in the stat sheet. That conversation really opened my eyes to how much more there is to sports than physical. I hope to provide services to athletes and teams that emphasize the importance of the mental side and help take their performance to the next level.
While a lot of my interests are in helping with sports performance and enjoyability (performance anxiety, working through injuries, confidence, and general mental performance training), more of my passion lies in identity formation outside of the sport, burnout, and easing the transition out of the sport. I remember the sinking feeling after getting injured that I would never be as good as I once was. I also remember feeling so lost and confused after graduation because I wasn’t going to be a student anymore, and I wasn’t going to be playing basketball anymore. Both of which I had been doing since I was six years old. Basketball and doing well in school were huge parts of my identity that were being stripped away. I hope to help with the anxiety of the transition, so it won’t be a goodbye. But a thank you and hello to a new adventure.
I’m currently pursuing a master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling and am working to become a Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC). This route is intentional because I want to help on and off the field of play. Whether it's grief/loss or getting out of an athletic slump, I’m here to help in any way I can!
Education
- The University of Texas at Tyler
- 2023 – Master of Arts in Clinical Mental Health Counseling
- 2017 – Bachelor of Science in Mechanical Engineering
- Pennsylvania Western University
- 2020 – Sport Counseling and Student Athlete Mental Wellness
Training
- Certifications
- Certified Mental Performance Consultant (CMPC), in progress
- Credential given by the Association of Applied Sport Psychology demonstrating the knowledge, skill and competency needed to work with people across the performance spectrum to strengthen their inner edge and maximize their potential
- Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), in progress
- Treatment modality that enables people to heal from the symptoms and emotional distress that are the result of disturbing life experiences
- Within sports, EMDR helps improve focus and concentration by helping you put things behind you, helping to settle down, and desensitizing emotions
- Mental Health and Sports Psychology Services
- Graduate Intern at Student Counseling Center
- Emphasis on student athlete mental health, identity formation/exploration, and cognitive restructuring
- Mental Performance Intern at Sterling Sport Mindset
- Delivered mental skills training to athletic teams and advocated for sport psychology/mental performance implementation to coaches and athletes
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