more about me

I am grateful for my training at Dallas Theological Seminary, where I earned my master's degree in biblical counseling in 2014, graduating with honors.  An added bonus was the credits from the Bible Certificate, which allowed me to earn my Graduate Teacher Diploma in Biblical Studies. 

I presently work in private practice, Virtue Matters Counseling, PLLC,  and have expanded my therapeutic offerings by earning certifications from the International Institute of Trauma and Addiction Professionals (IITAP) as a Certified Sexual Addiction Therapist (CSAT) and Certified Multiple Addictions Therapist (CMAT) for Financial Disorders. Having completed training in Gottman Methods Couples Therapy along with these qualifications, I am well-equipped to assist distressed couples to heal from relational injuries and to restore healthy emotional connections. 

In order to assist clients who are battling PTSD and trauma, I am trained to offer EMDR (Eye Movement Reprocessing & Desensitization & Reprocessing), a trauma-focused intervention. Additional training includes a trauma therapy certificate from Trauma Support Services of North Texas (TSSNT), suicide intervention, and grief counseling. 

I have not always worked as a counselor for mental health. I hold a Post Graduate Diploma in Finance from online studies with the University of Leicester, England, and was previously a Certified General Accountant (CGA). I enjoyed a 17-year corporate career with the Shell Group of Companies in Barbados and Houston, Texas, and before that, 8 years as manager of the Light & Power Credit Union in Barbados.  Important roles at Shell included Oil Products Risk Analyst, Retail Manager Barbados, and Regional Stocks Controller for 17 Caribbean islands.  After working as an expatriate for Shell Trading US (STUSCO) for three years in Houston, Texas, where I had a variety of roles in international crude oil operations, I left Shell in 2011 to pursue my new calling and career as a psychotherapist.

I currently attend Trinity Church in Cedar Hill, Texas, with my spouse. We love spending time with a wide variety of multicultural couples who love the Lord and work to continuously strengthen and renew their relationships and families during our weekly fellowship at Trinity Married Life.
People may see me as either dense or intense, but if you know me well, you will realize that I am truly a serious bible and prayer nerd. But I love to laugh! To be clear, though, my love for God's Word fills me with a passionate love for God's World, so please don't ever think of me as a Bible basher. There are real personal reasons for my faith and love for Jesus. To find out, don't hesitate to ask me when you get the chance. 

As the last of six children, I was born on the stunningly beautiful Caribbean island of Barbados. At the age of 17, I lost my mother, and 17 years after that, my dad. All of my siblings and I get along well; my eldest brother lives in Canada, and the other three, a sister and two brothers, still live in Barbados, where I try to visit as often as I can.
I dated for two years before getting married to my husband Brett in 2007. My daughter Jade, my stepdaughter Julia, and my granddaughter Jessie make up our immediate family.
I am fortunate to have wonderful, enduring "foxhole" friends. What is a foxhole friend?  That simply means that on a day of adversity , I can rely on them. 

Since 2012 I've authored three books with many more "books"  in the oven. My first—30 Days in August, is autobiographical, and documents my journey from a corporate career in Shell to where I am today—professional counseling. Rahab’s Walls (2014 & currently under revision) was inspired by the biblical patriarch Rahab and speaks of the power of one woman to change her generational legacy.  Onward Christian Soldier-Saints was published in 2019 as a devotional highlighting inspiring perspectives in spiritual warfare. These books are all available on Amazon.

Along with my passion for writing and reading, my lesser know passion is for bible teaching and a desire to write bible studies. I also enjoy cooking—primarily to delight my husband's with creative and tasty meals. I just love to hear him say, "Another restaurant quality meal today, honey!" :) We also love to host  family and friends in our very modest home and stuff them with doggy bags as they leave.