Experience

“Art is a wound turned into light.” Georges Braque

Stacy is a nationally certified counselor (NCC) by the National Board of Certified Counselors (NBCC). She is a licensed mental health counselor associate (LMHCA) through the state of Indiana, pursuing full state licensure and under supervision until state full licensure is complete. Stacy is EMDR trained pursuing EMDR certification. She continues to pursue rigorous, specialized certifications in Expressive Arts Therapy Trauma-Informed (EXAT) through Trauma-Informed Expressive Arts Institute , Registered Expressive Arts Therapist (REAT) through International Expressive Arts Therapy Association (IEATA), Somatic Experiencing (SE) through Somatic Experiencing International, and certification as a Clinical Trauma Professional (CCPT).

Stacy has experience working with a variety of concerns including anxiety, depression, abuse/trauma, domestic violence, sexual abuse/assault, shame, self-esteem issues, narcissistic abuse, spiritual abuse, grief and loss.

Since 2004, Stacy has worked within the medical and mental health fields serving clients in hospital, clinic, community mental health and private practice settings. Working with clients in a number of different settings has provided Stacy with a unique understanding of how trauma manifests in our lives, many times outside of our conscious awareness. We are adaptive beings, our brains possess adaptive abilities for the purpose of survival. Many times what helped us survive in childhood, hinders us in adulthood as we continue to utilize those same adaptive patterns.

This, along with her own experiences, has lead Stacy to specialize in developmental (childhood) and attachment trauma. Many times survivors of trauma have a difficult time trusting themselves, experience multiple traumatic events, develop stress & autoimmune illness, have increased relational conflict, and loss of career aspirations. This is a result of how developmental and attachment trauma negatively impacts how we perceive ourselves, others, and the world.

Our society has largely failed to adopt a trauma-informed and grief literate approach which further negatively impacts survivors of trauma. Societal norms, educational systems, and labor culture cause clients to develop performance-based thinking which reinforces negative belief systems developed from traumatic childhood experiences. Society is accustom to asking "what's wrong with you?" in a very dismissive, minimizing, and dehumanizing manner, at its own peril, because to have a healthy, inclusive, whole society we must normalize "what happened to you?"

Through psychoeducation Stacy helps clients understand the effect trauma has on the brain (neurobiology of trauma), how it impacts their nervous system, and the ability of the brain to be "rewired" (neuroplasticity, the formation of new neural pathways) as a means of empowerment by knowing what is happening when they experience a "trauma trigger" and hope through the knowledge of their brain's ability to lay down new neural pathways.

Stacy assists clients in learning how to find their voice, trust themselves, set boundaries and advocate for their own needs.

She helps clients find healthy ways to process pain, loss, and trauma through the integration of Expressive Arts, EMDR, & Somatic (body) therapies. Combining creative expression, body-based work, and traditional therapies fosters healing by working with the nervous system and the brain for holistic and restorative care.

When asking for help, we need to be treated non-judgmentally. We all need support to overcome life's challenges. Moreover, we all need someone that listens compassionately and empathetically. I respect my clients and their unique backgrounds, recognizing that people come from many different ethnic, religious, cultural, and socioeconomic backgrounds.

Academic Qualifications

Associate of Science in Radiology (Jackson Community College) 2005

Master of Science in Management w/ focus in Human Behavior (Grace College) 2015

Master of Art in Counseling (Townsend Institute, Concordia University-Irvine) 2018

Further Training:

Art Therapy Interventions

Expressive Arts Therapy

Polyvagal Theory & Intervention

Trauma

Grief

EMDR

Neuroscience