Greetings! My name is Kylie, and I have been a practicing counselor and counselor educator for the past 14 years. I hold a doctorate in Counselor Education and Supervision, a Master’s degree in School and Clinical Mental Health Counseling, and a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology and Coaching. I have experience serving a wide variety of young clientele within alternative high schools, private elementary schools, and a program serving youth with diverse special needs. My primary clinical practice has been serving women, children, and families in crisis and recovering from trauma. This included six years in emergency non-profit shelters for clients facing intimate partner violence and comorbid substance abuse. I’m currently a professor in a Master’s level counseling program where I teach and supervise counselors-in-training, write and publish research in the field, and present at local, state, and national conferences. I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC), Licensed Clinical Addictions Counselor (LCAC), National Certified Counselor (NCC), and a Board Certified-Telemental Health (BC-TMH) provider as well. My therapeutic approach intentionally integrates various theoretical models dependent on client need. I believe deepened self-awareness is fundamental to long-term positive change. We all have blind spots, and this is often where our most painful pieces are buried. I believe I can help clients increase their holistic self-awareness by shining light onto irrational beliefs, cognitive distortions, existential anxieties, and potential insecure attachment styles. Most people in our lives respond or react to our overt behaviors. I’m interested in understanding the intent behind such behaviors, which is often out of awareness (unconscious). Many of us suffer various forms of trauma, and our brains and bodies create intricate defenses to protect ourselves from future pain. No one is broken, “crazy,” or hopeless. Some simply need help understanding why they think, feel, and act the way they do in response to psychological threat. When we feel heard, seen, and validated for our circumstances, the defenses that no longer serve us start to loosen their grip on our lives.