My Story

I began struggling with depression and suicidal ideation in adolescence and went to several different psychiatrists and counselors but some were unpleasant or ineffective. I started college at the University of Puget Sound in Tacoma, Washington, thinking that I might study psychology and become a counselor believing that I could do a better job than the people who had worked with me. But, when I took my first psych class I didn't enjoy it and found it wasn't for me, so I abandoned my plan to become a counselor. Instead, I did an interdisciplinary major in General Systems Theory which consisted of classes in psychology, sociology, communication, philosophy, and computer science while minoring in math. ​

 

After I graduated college, I managed a Rax fast-food restaurant for three years. I learned a lot doing this but went back to school to get a PhD in Communications at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. I spent four years there studying how people understand and connect with each other. In 1990, my last year before I got my PhD, I accepted a position as an Assistant Professor at the University of Washinton in Seattle where I taught Interpersonal Communication, among other things. I graduated with my PhD in 1991 and spent another seven years as a professor at the University of Washington before accepting a position at Missouri State University (MSU). 

 

During this time I had worked hard to keep my depression and suicidal ideation at a minimum because I didn’t want to deal with psychiatrists and counselors again. But, once I got settled at MSU these mental health issues came back strongly, and I knew I needed help. So, I went to a counselor who had been recommended to me and he turned out to be very effective. We worked well together and began dealing with the things I needed to process. He got me connected to a good psychiatrist and I started taking medications. It took several years, but eventually we found a set of medications that worked.

 

In 2002 I started on a master's degree in Counseling at MSU and finished it in 2005. During this time my husband and I adopted our son John. Being a full-time mother and a full-time faculty member didn’t leave me time to pursue being a counselor so I used my counseling degree to study and teach mental health communication until I retired from MSU in August of 2025. After retirement, I opened my counseling practice and started the process to become a fully licensed counselor.