With a determination to apply what I’d learned since joining the behavioral health field in 1987, I founded Full Life Counseling & Recovery in 2008 with the goal of building a team to meet the needs of individuals, couples and families affected by substance use and other self-destructive behavior. As a clinician, I am credentialed to serve clients in North Carolina and South Carolina.

I believe that cookie-cutter approaches and one-size-fits-all models of care ignore the glaring differences in human beings, families and circumstances. Thanks to the mentorship of Carol Colleran, a trailblazing legend I met through a collaboration with Hazelden in the early 2000s and deep frustration with the way the field was changing, I began developing a Full Life Model of care and began teaching it to others.

Since that “first room” on 4th Street in Winston-Salem, Full Life has transitioned into our own beautiful free-standing craftsman style healing space and has grown to become a robust practice responding to needs across a much broader spectrum. Our team works in close collaboration with each other and other providers of care to provide individualized, compassionate, innovative and timely attention to alcohol, drug and medication related needs, trauma, general mental health needs, sexual health, spiritual health, grief and now, adult, recovery-friendly psychiatric care through our partnership with Synergy Psych. 

Parents who have been struggling for years often tell me, “I really wish I’d found you sooner!” But I’ve been here a while! After finishing WFU in 1985, I worked in behavioral health for 9 years, then returned to graduate school at Wake Forest. I earned credentials in NC as an LCMHC-S, LCAS, CCS, and I now hold the TLC credential in SC. All that alphabet soup just means that I’ve thrown my whole self into learning how to help and proved that I can pass lots of tests. But none of that compares to my heart, passion, and insight I bring to support Full Life families and our team every day. I’m deeply honored to have walked with hundreds who remind me every day that a full life in recovery can be a reality.

With 25+ years of experience, I’ve learned that our behavioral guidance and compassionate support can help parents understand whether to be afraid, how afraid to be, and most importantly, what to do about it. Unfortunately, I can’t work individually with every family though, so I’ve built a strong team that applies the same model with the same positive, hopeful, compassionate spirit. Any member of our Full Life team can help you learn what works and what doesn’t, when to wait, when to offer help, and what help to offer. They will listen carefully to what makes your situation distinctive and provide individualized support and guidance. Then I can connect with you for FREE every Thursday night in our Parent-to-Parent where you’ll learn, connect, ask questions and realize that you are not alone. You’ll meet other highly-responsible parents who (just like you) provided a strong foundation for success for their children, yet now struggle with how to respond to substance use, addiction and/or recovery.

We believe that parents can be pivotal in assisting their children move beyond their drug problems to choose a healthy lifestyle, but only when parents are well-informed and clear about how to help. We’ll guide you on the journey so you learn how to effectively support your child, protect your relationships, and reclaim your own sanity.

In addition to working with parents, I also help professionals in recovery, adolescents and young adults who are trying to determine if they really need recovery, and those in mid-recovery who are ready to do more in-depth therapeutic work. It is my honor to share the hope, join in the healing, mourn the struggles, and celebrate the successes of Full Life families.

https://llr.sc.gov/TeleHealth/Counselor