Our Team

As a Northfield-based therapist, I have often been saddened by watching clients who wish to return home to the North Shore from out-of-state treatment or sober-living environments, but have no community to support them. Research is clear that a supportive fellowship of other recovering young people, connection, is the single greatest asset in sustained recovery. Without connection, and faced with integrating a sober lifestyle alone, my clients were struggling. I mean, let’s face it, it’s not easy to be sober and 18-30 years old.

Supporting our recovering young people and their families is the inspiration for Providence.

In my nearly twenty years of practice, I have worn many hats: juvenile court counselor, substance abuse treatment provider, wilderness therapist, program developer, clinical supervisor, and most recently, the owner and director of Transcend Counseling Associates private clinical practice. Perhaps it speaks to the pervasiveness of addiction that, in each role, I have had the privilege of supporting people along every step of their journeys through substance abuse.

Recovery saves lives. Lives lost and lives not fully lived. I have lost clients and friends to their addiction. I have grieved with their families, an indescribable pain. I have supported families whose lives have been leveled by their loved ones’ addiction. I have also sat with clients and friends who tell me recovery saved their life, saved their family and inspired a life they could have never imagined.

I believe in compassion. Addiction is a vastly misunderstood disorder, one that people are blamed for having. Compassion without action is just observation.

Recovery is a journey of the spirit. Like any life experience that brings us to our knees, for many of us this is crisis, grief, trauma, addiction requires its sufferers to turn deeply inward. Finding a road to peace, joy and connection is a journey taken in the deepest part of the soul. Nothing is more inspiring than standing with my clients as they find their way along their path.

I grew up on the North Shore area near Chicago, just minutes away from The Farm. I have lived all over the country since moving away for college. My own substance abuse and mental health struggles interrupted my path to college graduation and led me to treatment program after treatment program. I ultimately completed my undergraduate degree at the University of Southern Maine and I am currently studying to be a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

I moved back to the North Shore to live at Providence as a resident seeking support. Authentic connections and genuine care are integral to the culture of PF. My connection to the community has helped me sustain sobriety and find purpose and meaning. PF staff provided respectful leadership and a spirit of collaboration, an approach that felt like they saw me as an individual versus just another client. I am deeply passionate about serving the community that so warmly gave so much to me.

I am grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with PF residents along their recovery paths. It is exciting to work in tandem with the people who supported me, and who have now become my colleagues. I look forward to sharing in your path through recovery.

At the time, they didn’t have a transitional program, and I struggled with the shift from staff-provided structure to independent adulting.

I spent the next ten years living in complete chaos before starting college at 28. That was the jumping off point for me to start doing the next right thing. Six years later, I finished my master’s in social work, and all my personal experiences from the very long road I had taken in my teenage years came full circle.

I met Stephanie at a Village Hall meeting where she was advocating for the opening of Providence Farm. She was a force who rallied the community when neighbors organized against the inception of Providence Farm. Stephanie went on to get approval for the opening of PF, and I feel so fortunate to be one of the very first hires before PF opened its doors in 2017.

Eight years later, I’m grateful for all of life’s twists and turns that have allowed me to find myself back at PF. I’m honored that I get to work alongside these guys on creating the future they want. There is nothing braver than the fight an addict puts up to keep living and to build a better life in recovery.

I was 18 years old when it was first suggested to me that perhaps I should get sober. Months later as I was heading off to university, I made sure to pack a case of beer. I sincerely believed that the impact of my use was felt by me, alone, and that I was a better person for it. It would take another 14 years until I found recovery and it would be a family member’s experience that inspired me.

I hold my Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Adler University and am a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor. I hold my Bachelor’s in Theatre Arts with a concentration in Film from Hollins University.

I enjoy Motivational Interviewing as a means of uncovering and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy when some times, some things, just are what they are. I am strengths based, not because that comes naturally, but because that becomes necessary. I am here for the process and here to support, encourage, and laugh.

I come to this work with a pretty varied path behind me. Education, non-profit leadership, and clinical social work all had a hand in shaping how I show up as a therapist here. Before I ever set foot in the behavioral health field, I spent several years as a high school educator, which taught me a lot about how learning styles, environment, and connection shape a person’s growth and resilience. Those lessons still show up in how I work with clients today. I’ve also had the privilege of serving on the Board of Directors, and later as Board Chair, for CURE Epilepsy, the largest nonprofit dedicated to funding epilepsy research. Advocacy for individuals and families navigating complex health and life challenges has been a throughline in my career long before I became a therapist, and it still drives a lot of how I approach this work.

In my clinical practice, I take an integrative, individualized approach, drawing from Internal Family Systems, Motivational Interviewing and Dialectical Behavior Therapy. I’m certified in the Neurosequential Model of Therapeutics (NMT), a neurobiologically grounded framework for understanding and treating trauma, neglect, and disrupted attachment. I am also a Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor.

I earned my B.S. and M.A. from Northwestern University, and my M.S.W. from Loyola University Chicago. Outside of work, I live locally with my family and our two dogs. I spend my free time cooking, listening to live music, and begging my young adult kids to hang out with me.

I earned my Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Oregon State University Cascades in 2025.

My path into this work is both professional and personal. I began my own recovery journey in 2020, and it has shaped every part of how I show up as a therapist. During my clinical training I worked in residential treatment programs specializing in substance use recovery, where I developed a trauma informed, client centered approach grounded in evidence based practices.

I believe that everyone has an innate drive to grow into the best version of themselves, but life’s challenges, including grief, loss and trauma, can disconnect us from our values and our sense of self. Through an attachment based lens I help clients reconnect with their authentic selves. I use Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing, EMDR, to support clients in processing unresolved trauma and finding peace in their day to day lives.

I view the therapeutic relationship as a powerful tool for healing and growth. My goal is to provide a space where you feel seen, supported and empowered to explore your story and rediscover who you are.

Several of my loved ones and family members have struggled in these areas, and I have witnessed firsthand the profound difference that compassionate care, strong support systems and community can make. Being able to now support individuals and families through similar challenges holds a very special place in my heart.

I earned my Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and Dance from Hope College in Holland, Michigan. I later continued my education at Loyola University Chicago, where I received my Master’s in Social Work in the Advanced Clinical Track. During graduate school I also earned a Certificate in Advanced Brief Interventions for Substance Abuse among Multiple Communities.

I am passionate about helping people reclaim a sense of control and empowerment in their lives. My therapeutic approach is direct, curious and collaborative, with a strong emphasis on meeting clients where they are. I enjoy drawing from a variety of therapeutic modalities, including Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Psychodynamic Therapy and Family Systems Therapy.

Outside of work I enjoy hot yoga and zumba classes, trying new restaurants with loved ones, going on long walks, and searching for the perfect cup of coffee.

I’m incredibly grateful to join the Providence Farm family. I grew up in Lincolnshire, Illinois in a great family, playing sports, and excelling in school. I graduated from Indiana University with a degree in management and a great job. I had the world at my fingertips. My partying and bad habits had other plans. My way of life brought me places that I never could have imagined. My life was a lonely, living hell. I didn’t think there was a way out. When I found recovery, my life changed forever.

In my role at PF, I am excited to pass on the gift of recovery that was so freely given to me. In case management meetings, residents and I work together to find jobs, enroll in school, make connections, and establish a healthy schedule. Together we set the framework to practice living a happy, healthy life.

Recovery is not easy, but when we let other people in and ask for help, ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE. I’ve never seen a community like the Providence Farm Community.

I’m a licensed social worker with a Master’s in Social Work from Loyola University Chicago, specializing in substance abuse treatment.

I grew up in the northern suburbs of Chicago, but my personal and professional journey began in 2018 when I was a resident at Providence Farm. That experience changed my life. It marked the start of my recovery and sparked a deep passion to help others on similar paths.

Today, I’m proud to work as a therapist at Providence Farm, supporting young men as they navigate their way toward sobriety. I’m driven by the belief that recovery is possible for everyone, and I’m honored to walk alongside others as they find their strength, purpose, and healing.

The team at PF helped point me towards a better life. They fostered a connection and helped me grow as an individual. They supported me while I did a lot of difficult work on myself, turning that depressive spite into hope and contentment.

I am now part of the group that helped change my life. I serve as a mentor where I directly interact with residents and help them build confidence to see that their struggles are, in fact, not insurmountable.

One saying in the 12-step recovery community goes: recovery is simple, but not always easy. I have found that the support of peers around me helped to make the process much easier. That is what PF is all about: a healthy community to help clients on a memorable journey towards a better future.

I am grateful that I found recovery after my own experience with addiction and mental health. I am deeply passionate about the power of compassionate relationships, individualized support, and 12-Step recovery.

I come from a family that has deep experience with mental health, traumatic loss, and substance abuse. As a result, I have an unwavering belief in the resilience of the human spirit and potential for change.

I am committed to helping PF residents remember to laugh, have fun, pursue hobbies, and connect with each other. Life in recovery has led me to great personal transformation; I love to share my enthusiasm for recovery with our community.

I spent many of my teenage years in addiction, without any principles or ethics to guide me. Providence Farm welcomed me with open arms and introduced me to a community of young men, all walking the path of recovery together. It was in this community that I began to find myself and start living a life I am proud of.

Recovery has been the toughest battle I’ve ever fought, and the mentors at Providence Farm, who supported me during my time as a client, were invaluable. My goal as a mentor at PF is to provide the same kind of support and be the same help to others in early recovery as was provided to me in my own time of need.

Helping others who are walking the same path I once did is not only rewarding but it also helps keep me grounded in my own sobriety and recovery.

I have 14 years of sobriety and have found great help, support and direction through the program of Alcoholics Anonymous. I realized early in my recovery journey that I had a passion for helping those afflicted with substance abuse. My passion led me to study toward my Certified Alcohol and Drug Counselor degree.

I know first-hand how difficult this path can be. I remember people asking me why I couldn’t just stop and questioning my lack of willpower. I know this path forward is different for each of us, and I’m looking forward to supporting our young men in their experience of recovery.

I am a mentor here at Providence Farm. The journey to this point was not an easy one. I grew up in Wilmette, but no matter where I ended up, I struggled to imagine my life without drugs and alcohol. An easy escape from life’s difficulties that consumed every waking moment of my time for years. It wasn’t until I arrived at Providence Farm after a three month stint in rehab that I started to build the foundation that supports my life today.

Today my life looks very different! Helping our staff work through day to day logistics, forming relationships with our residents, and helping wherever I can.

The connections and support I’ve gained during my time here have not only bolstered my sobriety, but have made my life more enjoyable and fulfilling than ever. Especially those I’ve gained with my family, whose support has been invaluable on my path to recovery.

I continue to reconnect with my hobbies and passions. I love music! Singing, playing guitar, and listening to music made from 1865-2025. I enjoy following comedy and theatre. Engaging with the arts brings me a lot of joy!

This path is not an easy one, but recovery is possible. Building a life greater than you could have otherwise hoped for. My hope is that my lived experience can be used as one tool of many to help other young men reach their potential.

Growing up in Chicago, I was exposed to a wide range of experiences that shaped the person I am today. Although I spent parts of my childhood moving around, Chicago is where I truly came of age. Athletics played a significant role in my upbringing, particularly football, lacrosse, and wrestling. My passion for lacrosse eventually took me overseas, where I had the opportunity to compete at the international level.

Music has also always been an important part of my life. I play multiple instruments and continue to write and create music as a personal passion and creative outlet.

From a young age, I struggled with addiction, which gradually pulled me away from the things and people I cared about and left me isolated by shame and guilt. My journey toward recovery has not been easy, but with the support of Providence Farm, I was able to find sobriety and build a life I am genuinely proud of today.

Now, as a mentor at Providence Farm, I have the opportunity to support young men who are facing many of the same challenges I once faced. I am deeply grateful to be able to give back and offer the same encouragement, community, and support that were instrumental in my own recovery.

Community was a missing piece in my life, and Providence Farm provided me with a sense of belonging that helped shape the man I am today. Over the past two years, my life has changed in profound ways. I have rebuilt strong relationships with my family, developed a meaningful support system, and found purpose in helping others navigate their own challenges.

Today, my work at Providence Farm allows me to turn my experiences into something meaningful: helping young men affected by addiction and mental health challenges recognize their own potential, overcome obstacles, and build lives they can be proud of.