Portage Location

Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy (TF-CBT) Trained

Trauma Informed

Populations Served

Adolescents, Families & Adults

Modalities Utilized:

Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy

Behavioral Therapy

Dialectical Behavior Therapy

Barb received her Master’s degree in Social Work from Western Michigan University in 2007. Her career, before and after graduation, has always focused on working with kids, adolescents and young adults diagnosed with chronic mental illnesses, across multiple community environments, assisting with daily needs, supporting learning positive life skills and navigating relationship struggles. Barb has spent a significant amount of her career supporting individuals through local crisis programs for children and adolescents.  Barb focused on helping families with de-escalation, parent support, links to local resources, as well as assessment and referrals to urgent psychiatric care and psychiatric placements.  Barb found her true passion as a home-based therapist helping families who have a child or children diagnosed with chronic mental illness. She provided family, individual and couples therapy as well as crisis intervention. Barb helped the family connect with schools and other various community programs and was helpful in providing comprehensive support for these struggling families.

Barb believes that a strong therapeutic relationship is a necessity for therapy to be successful. She builds this relationship by following her client’s lead in session and providing compassion, honesty and a focus on strengths, while addressing the goals of her clients.  She celebrates successes and supports a client’s path to better mental health using CBT, DBT and behavioral therapy techniques.  She is certified in TF-CBT (Trauma Focused Cognitive Behavior Therapy) and uses this technique to assist children with one or more traumatic experiences to lessen the aftereffects of their trauma(s). Barb has experience working with people struggling with depression, anxiety, trauma, ADHD, ODD, self-esteem issues, anger management, relationship struggles, parenting, suicidal ideation, self-harm, bipolar disorder and psychosis.

Becoming a therapist helped Barb combine her love of helping people with her passion for the science behind our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors.  She enjoys providing support and guidance for those on their path to greater peace and life fulfillment and she feels honored to see the positive changes that her clients have been able to gain through learning new ways of thinking and handling stress.