My love for animals and work with individuals began in the late 90's when I worked for Helping Horse Therapeutic Riding Program in Raleigh, NC. I later obtained by Bachelors Degree in Psychology from Radford University in 2004. During my last year of college I worked as a counselor for the Blue Ridge Behavioral Healthcare Mountain House program in Roanoke, VA. This clubhouse model introduced me to psychosocial rehabilitation programs and later rehabilitation counseling which I obtained my Masters Degree in from Boston University in 2006. Since then I have worked as a program coordinator for Side by Side Supported Living Inc., a counselor at Riverside Community Care, both in Boston, MA. I have also worked as an intake counselor at Middle Tennessee Treatment Center in Nashville, TN as well as a vocational rehabilitation counselor in Franklin, TN. My return to Colorado landed me at Mind Springs Health where I worked as a mental health clinician for five years. During that time I returned to school at the University of Denver to pursuit my love of animals and obtained my certificate in Animal-Assisted Therapy at the Institute for Human-Animal Connection at the University of Denver in 2015. This program taught me how to incorporate my interest and understanding of dogs into the therapeutic setting to assist individuals as they strive towards personal goals.