A Journey Shaped by Experience

Years ago, my husband and I became parents through adoption and began learning how early experiences shape children’s brain development, relationships, and sense of safety in the world. The early years were overwhelming. We were isolated, exhausted, and trying to navigate extreme behaviors we did not understand while having no meaningful support around us.

All of the help available to us focused on traditional or coercive parenting approaches that made things harder instead of helping us understand what our children were communicating through their behavior. Over time, we found people, ideas, and approaches that changed the way we understood our children and ourselves.

We were slowly able to create more rhythm, safety, repair, and connection in everyday life, and respond in ways that helped our children feel safer, more connected, and better understood. These experiences shaped not only our family but also the foundation of my work today.

Through many different caregiving experiences over decades, I’ve developed a deeply personal understanding of the complexities that children and families face within relationships, systems, and healing journeys. Much of what I offer families now comes from a deep desire to help others access the kind of understanding, support, and community I wish had existed during those early years. Today, I work alongside children, families, professionals, agencies, and communities through consultation, advocacy, training, and direct support to create safer, more connected environments for healing and growth.

Training & Approach

My work is grounded in Attachment Theory, Interpersonal Neurobiology, State Dependent Functioning, Polyvagal Theory, Predictive Brain Science, and the Science of Hope. Over the years, I’ve trained extensively with leaders in these fields and continue to engage in ongoing consultation, supervision, and collaborative work connected to attachment. trauma-responsive care, and relational healing. My training includes the Neurosequential Model of Caregiving (NMC), Dyadic Developmental Psychotherapy (DDP), Integrative Attachment Family Therapy (IAFT), the Adult Attachment Interview (AAI), Video Intervention Therapy (VIT), Trust-Based Relational Intervention (TBRI), Polyvagal-informed approaches including Safe and Sound Protocol (SSP), and more.

One of my greatest strengths is helping people turn complex concepts about attachment, brain development, and relational healing into practical, usable support for real life. Through story, play, nurturing experiences, and everyday application, I help adults build safer, more connected relationships and environments where children can experience greater regulation, trust, and belonging over time.

Community Work

I believe children and families do best when they are surrounded by connected, informed, and supportive communities. Much of my work is centered around helping build environments where caregivers, professionals, and communities can better understand children impacted by adversity and respond in ways that create greater safety, connection, and belonging over time.

In addition to supporting individual families, I have worked extensively within adoption and foster agencies, and alongside child welfare organizations, juvenile justice programs, schools, tribal communities, wraparound services, faith communities, and recreational programs for the last nine years. I currently serve on a Washington statewide citizen review panel for DCYF (Prevention, Investigation, and Family Services). I am also a Science of Hope Ambassador for the state of Washington, participate in Communities of Practice connected to the Science of Hope in both Washington Family Courts and Kitsap County, and serve on the Leadership Committee for Kitsap Strong, a collective impact initiative focused on helping communities flourish.

I also participate in collaborative work with state and national leaders in attachment, infant mental health, neurobiology, resilience, adoption-informed care, and the Science of Hope, including ongoing collaboration within a national think tank focused on prenatal, infant, and adoption mental health.

At the heart of my work is a simple belief: children do not need perfection from the adults around them. They need relationships grounded in safety, repair, rhythm, connection, and hope. And the adults caring for them deserve support, too.