Professional Experience
A Career Rooted in Service
My career has taken me through healthcare systems, educational settings, crisis intervention, outpatient therapy, and private practice. Along the way, I've had the opportunity to support individuals and families during some of life's most challenging moments while also helping them identify strengths, build resilience, and move forward with confidence.
These experiences have shaped my belief that meaningful support begins with meeting people where they are and recognizing that every person's story is unique.
Current Roles
Michigan Medicine
School-Based Mental Health Therapist | 2024-Present
As a School-Based Mental Health Therapist with Michigan Medicine's Regional Alliance for Healthy Schools, I provide behavioral health services to adolescents across multiple school districts.
My work includes conducting comprehensive assessments, developing individualized treatment plans, providing therapy services, and collaborating with educators, families, healthcare providers, and community partners to support student well-being and academic success.
Working within schools allows me to meet students where they spend much of their day and help remove barriers that may impact both their mental health and educational experience.
Guiding Star Counseling PLLC
Founder & Therapist | 2024-Present
In 2024, I founded Guiding Star Counseling PLLC with a simple goal: to create the kind of therapy practice I would be proud to send my own friends and family to.
After working in emergency behavioral health, outpatient therapy, healthcare systems, and school-based mental health, I knew I wanted to build a practice that emphasized authentic relationships, individualized care, and a space where people could show up exactly as they are.
Today, Guiding Star Counseling serves adolescents and adults throughout Michigan through telehealth counseling. As both therapist and business owner, I have the privilege of helping clients navigate anxiety, grief, life transitions, and personal growth while continuing to expand a practice built on compassion, curiosity, and a belief in people's ability to adapt and heal.
Previous Experience
Henry Ford Jackson Hospital
Access Center Clinician | 2021-2024
My time at Henry Ford Jackson Hospital gave me the opportunity to work at the intersection of healthcare and behavioral health, supporting individuals during some of the most vulnerable moments of their lives. Working within the Emergency Department, I conducted psychiatric and crisis assessments for patients experiencing mental health and substance use concerns while collaborating closely with physicians, nurses, case managers, and community providers.
This role strengthened my clinical assessment skills, deepened my understanding of healthcare systems, and reinforced the importance of accessible, coordinated mental health care. It was also where I gained a profound appreciation for the resilience people demonstrate during times of crisis and uncertainty.
Plymouth Mental Health
Therapist | 2021-2024
While working as an outpatient therapist, I had the privilege of supporting individuals navigating anxiety, depression, trauma, life stressors, and significant transitions. Through assessment, treatment planning, and ongoing therapy, I worked alongside clients as they explored challenges, built coping skills, and identified meaningful goals for growth.
This experience reinforced what initially drew me to social work: the power of authentic human connection. It also strengthened my belief that therapy is most effective when it is collaborative, individualized, and grounded in each person's unique strengths and experiences.
Michigan College Access Network
College Advisor | 2018-2020
Before becoming a social worker, I spent two years working with high school students as a College Adviser through the Michigan College Access Network. Serving students in Quincy and Addison High Schools, I helped young people navigate college admissions, financial aid, career exploration, and postsecondary planning.
This role allowed me to witness firsthand how access, opportunity, and support can shape a person's future. I worked with students who were preparing to become first-generation college graduates, exploring career pathways, or simply trying to determine what came next after high school.
Looking back, this experience played an important role in shaping my professional identity. Long before I was providing therapy, I was helping people navigate uncertainty, identify strengths, and move toward meaningful goals—skills that continue to guide my work today.
Clinical Training
Every professional journey starts somewhere.
Long before I became a therapist, business owner, or school-based mental health provider, I was learning from patients, students, healthcare teams, and mentors who helped shape my understanding of service, advocacy, and human resilience. My early training experiences provided exposure to a variety of healthcare, educational, and community settings, helping me develop both the clinical skills and professional values that continue to guide my work today.
Michigan Medicine
Master of Social Work Intern | 2021
As a graduate social work intern at Michigan Medicine, I had the opportunity to learn within one of the nation's leading academic medical centers. Through experiences across multiple healthcare settings, I worked alongside interdisciplinary teams supporting patients and families facing a wide range of medical, behavioral health, and psychosocial challenges.
This experience strengthened my understanding of integrated healthcare and reinforced the importance of viewing each person within the broader context of their family, community, and support systems. It also further developed my passion for working at the intersection of healthcare and mental health.
University of Michigan Dean of Students Office
Master of Social Work Intern 2020-2021
During the COVID-19 pandemic, I served as a graduate intern within the University of Michigan Dean of Students Office as part of the COVID-19 Student Response Team. In a time marked by uncertainty and rapid change, I worked to connect students with academic, personal, and health-related resources while helping them navigate unprecedented disruptions to their education and daily lives.
This experience highlighted the importance of adaptability, creative problem-solving, and compassionate support during times of crisis. It also reinforced my belief that access to meaningful support can significantly impact an individual's ability to navigate difficult circumstances.
Hurley Medical Center
Bachelor of Social Work Intern | 2017-2018
My social work career began at Hurley Medical Center, where I completed my undergraduate internship within the Emergency Department. There, I conducted biopsychosocial assessments, assisted with care coordination, and supported patients and families facing complex medical, emotional, and social challenges.
Working in a fast-paced hospital environment introduced me to the realities of crisis intervention, interdisciplinary collaboration, and healthcare navigation. The experience sparked a lasting interest in healthcare social work and laid the foundation for many of the clinical skills I would continue to build throughout my career.
Early Healthcare Experience
My interest in healthcare began long before I entered the social work profession.
As a teenager, my grandfather suffered severe burn injuries that required extensive medical treatment and hospitalization. During those months, I spent a significant amount of time alongside my family in hospitals and medical settings. While many people understandably felt overwhelmed by the complex medical language and processes, I found myself drawn to helping family members understand what providers were saying and what each next step meant.
That experience sparked an interest in healthcare, advocacy, and helping people navigate difficult situations. It ultimately led me to pursue early healthcare roles, including work as a Certified Nursing Assistant and later supporting COVID-19 testing efforts during the pandemic. These experiences provided a firsthand understanding of patient care, healthcare systems, and the importance of compassion during times of uncertainty.
Looking back, many of the values that continue to guide my work today—service, advocacy, education, and helping people navigate complex systems—can be traced back to those early experiences.
COVID-19 Testing Personnel
Frontline Healthcare Support | 2020-2021
During the height of the COVID-19 pandemic, I worked on the front lines supporting community testing efforts. While the role differed from my formal social work training experiences, it provided a firsthand look at public health response efforts during a historic moment in healthcare.
The experience reinforced the importance of adaptability, teamwork, compassion, and service during times of uncertainty. It also highlighted how meaningful human connection can be, even during brief interactions, when people are navigating fear, stress, and the unknown. These lessons continue to influence my professional approach today.
Certified Nursing Assistant
Patient Care & Support | 2014-2020
Before pursuing social work, I worked as a Certified Nursing Assistant, providing direct care and support to individuals with a variety of medical needs. In many ways, this role served as my introduction to the healthcare profession and offered an early understanding of the trust patients place in those who care for them.
Working closely with patients and families taught me that healthcare is about far more than diagnoses, treatments, or procedures. It is also about dignity, compassion, communication, and recognizing the humanity of each person during moments when they may feel vulnerable or uncertain.
The experience provided valuable insight into the day-to-day realities of patient care while reinforcing my desire to pursue a career centered on service, advocacy, and helping others navigate difficult situations. Many of the values that continue to guide my work today—including empathy, teamwork, and a commitment to meeting people where they are—can be traced back to these early experiences in healthcare.
Red Cross Babysitting Instructor
Certified Babysitting Instructor | 2013-2014
One of my earliest leadership experiences came as a teenager when I became a Red Cross-certified babysitting instructor. Teaching safety, childcare, and emergency preparedness to younger students gave me an opportunity to combine two interests that would continue to shape my career: education and helping others build confidence in unfamiliar situations.
Although my professional path ultimately led me toward healthcare and social work rather than the classroom, the experience sparked a lifelong appreciation for teaching, mentorship, and making complex information more approachable. Today, those same skills continue to influence my work as a therapist, educator, writer, and advocate.