I obtained a bachelor's degree in psychology in 2004, a master's degree in rehabilitation counseling in 2006. After years of working in the field as a counselor and clinician, I decided to pursue a focus in animal-assisted therapy. I graduated from the University of Denver's Institute for Human-Animal Connection (IHAC) in 2015. Several months later I was matched with my first facility dog, Obie, from Canine Partners of the Rockies (CaPR), an organization that raises and trains facility and mobility service dogs for Colorado residents. Obie and I worked as a team in community mental health and then in private practice for eight years until he passed in 2024.  In the summer of 2025 I was matched with a new dog, Parker, from CaPR.  Parker is carrying out Obie's legacy as we are now a certified facility intervention team in Aspen, Colorado. As a certified synergetic play therapist Parker and I work together with children and pre-teens in a unique model of play therapy. Click here to learn more: