After working for over sixteen years as a wildlife biologist, studying birds, bats, snakes, and rare species in Texas and the desert southwest, I returned to graduate school to follow a passion for helping people. My first social work field placement allowed me to work with adults with schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder, and other chronic mental illnesses. Across the road from the clinic sat a beautiful pond at the edge of a grove of oak trees. I convinced my field supervisor that nature offers powerful and rich healing opportunities, and she agreed to let me lead one group session outdoors. I found enough fishing poles for everyone, and off we all went. Lines were quickly snagged and feet were quickly muddied, but this group of people who normally avoided eye contact and rarely smiled were talking, laughing, and joking with each other. This cracked open my love of connecting people with nature, not only by teaching them about nature, but also about how healing and restorative nature can be.
Over the next ten years, I worked as a mental health therapist, often bringing nature into counseling sessions to help with trauma, depression, anxiety, and PTSD. After many years working as an ecotherapist, and receiving a great deal of training, I began teaching therapists in Texas and Virginia about ecotherapy. I also began leading mindfulness in nature hikes and retreats.
In early 2019, I closed my private counseling practice and began writing - about nature, about my experiences as a biologist, and about being an adopted person and adoptive mother. Now, I write as much as I can. As a parent, I have to be creative about how to get in time to write, usually sneaking it in late at night or when my son is playing in his room. Every once in a while, friends invite me to stay at their nearby guest cabin, where my days consist of writing for hours, walking around looking at birds, then writing again for hours. I am currently working on a memoir project that delves into the complexities of being an adopted person and an adoptive mother, finding refuge and healing in nature. Readers and mentors have said they especially enjoy how my writing takes them on a journey, helping them become immersed in the exquisite, often overlooked, details all around us in the natural world. I hope my writing offers a reminder to slow down and look through patient and observant eyes, not only to cherish time spent with nature, but also to learn more about ourselves.
The Official Stuff:
Nominated for a 2021 Pushcart Prize
Selected as a mentee with the AWP Writer to Writer program in 2020
Selected as a participant in the 2020 Orion in the Wilderness writing program
Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in Texas since 2014
B.S. in Wildlife Biology, Texas A&M
M.S. in Biology, Tennessee Tech
Master of Social Work, University of Houston