A Story I Never Expected to Tell
For many years, I carried parts of my story quietly. As a teenager, I experienced sexual abuse by a trusted leader within the religious community where I was raised. My teen years were spent overwhelmed, confused and lost. When the truth began to emerge, the people and institutions that should have protected me did not. Shame, fear, and faith became painfully intertwined, and silence often seemed safer than being heard. Decades later, I chose to share my experience in Let Us Prey: A Ministry of Scandals, a four-part Investigation Discovery documentary series available on HBO Max. Telling my story was not about remaining in the past or allowing its darkest moments to define me. It was an acknowledgment that truth matters—and that even what has been deeply wounded can, with time, grace and the right mental health provider, become a source of understanding for others.
A Calling Shaped by Compassion
My path into mental health care grew gradually from what I had lived and what I came to understand along the way. I know how difficult it can be to trust when trust has been misused, and how long it may take to feel safe enough to speak honestly. I also came to believe that suffering does not have to have the final word. That belief led me toward work centered on compassion, dignity, and the quiet restoration of hope. While personal experience is never a substitute for professional training, it has shaped the care and attentiveness I bring to each person. Today, I combine clinical knowledge, therapy, and medication management to support adults and teens through seasons that may feel confusing, painful, or difficult to carry alone.
A Place to Be Heard
Your story does not need to resemble mine for it to deserve patience, respect, and thoughtful care. Through telehealth, I offer a private and supportive setting where you can speak openly, ask difficult questions, and move at a pace that feels right for you. You may be facing trauma, anxiety, depression, strained relationships, questions of identity or belief, or simply the weariness that comes from carrying too much for too long. I will not approach you as a problem to be solved or tell you who you should become. Instead, we will make room for honesty, understanding, and the possibility that hope may still be present—even when it has become difficult to see. Healing is rarely simple, but you do not have to walk through it alone.