Just another story.
How I landed in the mental health field begins much like Bilbo’s adventure to the Lonely Mountain — a rapid fire decision, smeared with lots of wandering, sprinkled with turn-arounds, dredged in trials, and peppered with close calls.
The need for adventure has been within me for many years. It has shifted, transformed, gotten lost—and found—along the way. Among the many adventures I played out in my head, being a therapist is one that I had avoided for many years. Why? Because I knew it was messy business — pain and suffering. But then one day, pain and suffering came unexpectedly, and in waves.
What drew me to the tragedies of stories came too close to home. Our immediate family bravely fought a goblin (stroke) and an orc (meningitis) and thought we were lucky to have survived both. Little did we know the biggest battle we have yet to fight was right around the corner…literally. A little over a year after the last tragedy, we faced our Dragon (pediatric cancer) and have never been the same.
What was up was down, what was right was left. The path to relief was getting blurrier by the minute. It was then that my greatest adventure (as of yet) began — when I made the choice to accept that things just doesn’t make sense! Sometimes villains escape, heroes falter, and children get cancer.
Trapped in my version of a dragon’s cave, filled with fears and insecurities, I stumbled upon an inner world, free from dualism, full of complexity, rich in curiosity, and deep in peace. Therein, was the birth of a profound desire to help others endure their own version of a dragon’s cave.
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Education
Lindsey Wilson College, Master’s in Education in Human Development & Clinical Mental Health
Elmhurst University, Bachelor’s of Arts, English Literature
Biola University, Bachelor’s of Arts, Sociology
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Training
Brainspotting, Phase 1 // Phase 2 // Expansion // Brainspotting with Children & Adolescents // Brainspotting & Addictions from Brainspotting International. Brainspotting Austria and Brainspotting Kids
Eye Movement Desensitization & Reprocessing (EMDR) with EMDR Consulting
Treating the Effects of Childhood Sexual Abuse & Incest with Arizona Trauma Institute
Treatment Strategies for Sexual & Gender Identity Issues with PESI
Treating Complex Trauma with Internal Family Systems with PESI
Dialectical Behaviorl Therapy with Psychotherapy Network
Trauma and Inflammation with Arizona Trauma Institute
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Publications & Presentations
“Rediscovering Humanity in Colim Toibin’s The Testament of Mary” The 24th Annual Midwestern Conference on Literature, Language, & Media (MCLLM), Northwestern Illinois, De Kalb, Spring 2015
Sciacca, K & Brooks, A., (2022) “Counseling the elderly in chronic pain” in Sandhu, D. & Crane, J. (eds) Counseling Aging Clients: Some Common Challenges in Gerentology, (submitted)
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Certifications
National Board Certified Counselor (NBCC)
Brainspotting Certification (in process)
Certified Trauma Professional (CTP)
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Memberships
Member of American Counseling Association
Member of Association for Contextual and Behavioral Science
“The road goes ever on and on down from the door where it began. Now far ahead the road has gone, and I must follow, if I can. Pursuing it with eager feet, until it joins some larger way.”
— J.R.R. Tolkien