Luckily, a collision of learning about the salary ranges of dolphin trainers, the struggle of a Calculus II class (I think my professor gifted me with a C), and an amazing volunteer experience with the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Baltimore City resulted in rethinking my career path.  Ultimately, I graduated with my Master’s in Social Work and spent the early part of my career working with children, their families, and trauma. 

When I was working with children and families, I realized the value of the family system and the role that system plays in how we relate to the world. Individuals who didn’t fit the hetero-normative narrative about human sexuality and relationships started coming to see me. I knew how to work with kids and their parents, but I really didn’t know how to be a great relationship therapist. 

I saw Terrence (Terry) Real, the founder of Relational Life Therapy (RLT), teach at a conference and had an “aha” moment: we shared the same viewpoints, we both used the same definition of infidelity, we both thought it was okay to drop the occasional f-bomb during a therapy session, and we were both direct, always telling it like it is. In RLT I found a model that resonated with me as a person and with the gifts I bring to the therapy space.

The theoretical framework of RLT is to help clients achieve an authentic connection with themselves and others.  I believe that sexual health is part of achieving that connection.

Dealing with elements of sexual health has always been a part of my work–a big part of my work–for about two decades. Feeling as if I didn’t have a strong knowledge base of sexual health (in fact, therapists and even some medical doctors receive very little sex education beyond human development), I intentionally sought out the University of Michigan’s Sexual Health Certification program. There, I received the education and training I needed to deal with the myriad of sexual health issues individuals and couples bring to the therapy space.

I went on to receive my certification from the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT) and am currently in my dissertation year of getting my Ph.D. in clinical sexology. My mission is for all persons to have intimate relationships that work for them, and for non-sex therapists and medical professionals to better understand sexual health so they are comfortable having these important conversations with their clients.