My clients have always inspired my endless need for figuring out the dynamics of human behavior and relationships. One of the things that new clients share, is that finding the right therapist is hard and knowing something about the therapist’s background would help. Here is a bit about my background.  

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I was born and raised in Greece. I graduated from college in 1985 with an Elementary School Teacher degree and taught school as my parents did before me. After teaching for a few years however, I realized there was so much more to learn about learning styles and family dynamics that affect students' learning.

 

I was thrilled to be accepted at the University of Edinburgh in Scotland for a Master's in Educational Psychology. That’s where I discovered the power mental health counseling had to help students and parents. Starting a doctorate in counseling psychology had to remain on hold however, because I fell in love, got married and moved to the US. Soon after that our young family moved to Toronto, Canada for work and school. A few years later we moved south and worked at Lenoir-Rhyne University, a liberal arts Lutheran school in a graphic North Carolina town, with cherry wine, magnolia trees and sticky hot summers.

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I went back to school for counseling licensure, obtained a second Masters and had the opportunity to work as Director of Career and Personal Development at Lenoir-Rhyne University, NC providing counseling and career support to college students. In 2007, our family moved to Seattle. There, I worked at the Moore Center, a clinic for Eating Disorders in Bellevue.

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However, life became complicated when we realized our marriage had run its course. My son was 10 years old when his dad and I divorced and the two of us came to live in Richland. As a single mom, I needed to make sure there was food on the table. In 2009 I started a private practice (Riverwalk Counseling) and for the next ten, I worked at WSU as a mental health counselor until the pandemic. After 2020 my focus went exclusively to serving our community through the Riverwalk Counseling. 

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Being a mental health counselor demands not only a constant deepening of understanding of human behavior but also active participation in the field. I have served for several years on the counseling board and I have continued training and education throughout my career. My certifications include Anger Management, Mediation Training, Clinical Hypnosis, Domestic Violence, ADHD Assessment and Diagnosis, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT). After my son left for college it was time to finish what I started a long time ago, a doctorate in psychology. I was accepted at the California Southern University and five years later, I defended my dissertation on burnout in the US medical system as the COVID-19 lockdown was in progress. With the pandemic (I hope everything went well for you and your loved ones) one of the lessons was that paying attention to personal needs is not selfishness. The better you feel the more you can care for others. So take care of your needs! 

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Thank you for your interest in my background story. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to click on the Contact Us button below.