"Listen to your life. See it for the fathomless mystery it is. In the boredom and pain of it, no less than the excitement and gladness of it: touch, taste, smell your way to the holy and hidden heart of it, because in the last analysis all moments are key moments and life itself is grace.”
- Frederick Beuchner, Now and Then: A Memoir of Vocation
I am a child, son, and man – a friend to many, a husband to one for 23yrs & counting, a father of two wonderful children, and a fellow human along the path of life.
I am also a counselor, guide, and licensed Marriage and Family Therapist (TNLMFT Lic.# 1545). I completed my licensure and training under the clinical supervision of Dr. Dave Morgan, LMFT, Associate Professor, Department of Psychology, Marriage and Family Therapy Program at Lipscomb University. Additionally, I am a Certified Spiritual Director through Lipscomb University’s Institute for Christian Spirituality. I have also completed Grief Educator training with respected grief expert David Kessler, and continuing education and training in Trauma Focused Narrative Therapy with The Allender Center, Seattle Washington.
Prior to moving to Nashville, my family and I lived for 14 years in Charlotte, NC. While there, I completed a Master of Divinity degree in 2004, spent several years in project management working with the healthcare industry, and was also part of the ministry staff at Hope Community Church.
From living many years in non-profit and ministry settings, I know the importance of individual healing, recovery, and personal growth for those working in those callings first hand. I also know the challenges and struggles of those in more traditional business and marketplace settings, having spent many years in project management. Thus, my approach to counseling and therapy is relational, story driven, and solution focused. It is founded upon the belief that humans are relational beings to the core. We live and thrive (and also suffer) in relationship with ourselves, others, God, and all of creation. Healing and growth, then, are fundamentally relational in nature. Where there is wounding in relationship, there is the need for healing in relationship.
I work, then, with individuals and couples to help them come to bless the space between where they are and where they want to be as they recover their hearts and redeem their stories in the here and now. I seek to make counseling a place of hope where clients can tell the truth about the pain of where they are, grieve the tragedy of where they’ve been, and dare to move into where they want to go.
Education and Training
- Certified Spiritual Director, Lipscomb University, 2023.
- Certified Grief Educator, David Kessler Training, 2023.
- Master of Marriage and Family Therapy, Lipscomb University, 2016.
- Counseling Resident, The Barnabas Center, Charlotte, NC, 2013-2014.
- Master of Divinity, Reformed Theological Seminary/Charlotte, 2004.
- Bachelor of Arts, English, Berry College, 1999.
Associations
- AAMFT
- TNAMFT
- Certified SYMBIS Assessment Facilitator for pre-marital and married couples
- Approved Gottman Connect Facilitator