About GBS

Licensed Professional Counselor and Behavior Analyst as well as a Linehan Board Certified DBT Clinician with 10 years of experience serving clients in the Midsouth — I was born and raised in Memphis, TN. Like many of you, my life was impacted by loving someone with a developmental disability and seeing the heartbreaking disparity in support offered to individuals who just didn’t quite fit into a box. Having a mother who was a guidance counselor for a local school, I have always been interested in using psychology to help improve the lives of others.

Throughout the past 10 years, I have worked in a variety of mental health settings, including residential treatment, partial hospitalization (day treatment program), and outpatient practices. In 2017, I received certification as a Linehan Board Certified DBT Clinician (DBT-LBC), becoming the 3rd person in the state of TN to do so. My aim is to develop more clinicians in this area, as I have witnessed first-hand the high demand for this type of treatment and the unmatched supply of adherent DBT counselors. Becoming DBT-LBC certified allows me to offer my clients the assurance that they’re receiving a life-saving treatment (DBT) in a way that is in accordance with what has been validated by the research. Read more about DBT at http://dbt-lbc.org/

I love working with children and families and use a diagnostic prescriptive approach. I offer play therapy, sand tray therapy, EMDR (eye movement desensitization and reprocessing), cognitive behavioral therapy, parent coaching and school consultations. My specialties are working with children (ages 2 through 15) and their families in the areas of trauma, anxiety, depression, behavior and emotional dysregulation, and other difficulties at home or school.

My goals in therapy are 1. To celebrate the beautifully and wonderfully made person you are, 2. To help you work purposefully toward your goals, 3. To show you God’s love, grace, and acceptance, and 4. To infuse our time with laughter and joy even as we grapple with difficult issues.

I provide assessments for learning disabilities and attention deficits for children and adults, as well as developmental assessments for young children (ages 18 months to 6 years of age) with the goal of helping the client, the parents and the school understand the individual’s learning and to find ways to maximize strengths to offset weaknesses.

I have a master’s degree in counseling and a doctorate concentrating in education and school psychology. Outside of work, I enjoy spending time with my family and friends, reading, and trying new adventures (from swimming with manatees to white-water rafting). My dog, Mackie, will frequently join me at GBS as my co-therapist.

Having recently moved from Minnesota to Memphis, I am excited to continue serving and supporting others towards mental wellness. While I am originally from the Indianapolis, IN area, I graduated with a Bachelor of Science in Social Work from Xavier University in Cincinnati, OH and a Masters of Social Work from Roberts Wesleyan College in Rochester, NY. I began practicing in Minnesota working in a residential setting for adults with Serious and Persistent Mental Illness (SPMI), primarily schizophrenia. After achieving my license to practice independent clinical work, I transitioned to providing outpatient counseling and mental health services.

For the last 11 years, I have provided Linehan adherent Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as well as outpatient mental health therapy with a client centered, strengths based approach. In 2018, I became a Linehan Board Certified DBT Clinician. I have also been trained and have several years of experience providing trauma therapy services utilizing the evidenced based practice of DBT Prolonged Exposure by Melanie Harned.

Primary areas of focus include working with adults with depression, anxiety, personality disorders (particularly Borderline Personality Disorder), co-occurring substance use disorders, trauma and the effects of traumatic invalidation, as well as symptom management of other serious and persistent mental illness, such as Bipolar disorder or Schizophrenia. I also enjoy the utilization of DBT with families, ensuring a system approach to promote healing and wellness.

Over the past 9 years, I worked with a community mental health agency that specialized in family violence prevention and helping children, adults, and families with a vast array of treatment concerns. I conducted clinical risk assessments for individuals in the Domestic Violence Assessment Center and have years of experience working with the family as a unit in a family anger management program. I assisted individuals and families with developing communication skills, general social skills development, stress and behavior management skills, among other needs. I have training and experience in various treatments and approaches such as: TF-CBT, ACT, Feedback Informed Treatment (FIT) and PCIT, with future goals of obtaining training and certification in DBT and specializing in ADHD.

I hold the belief that the counseling room is a sacred space for healing and consider it an honor to walk alongside my clients in times of change and healing. Although not limited to, I enjoy working with clients with an interest in receiving counseling from a Christian perspective. In general, I approach each client from a non-judgmental place, using a holistic approach to treatment, addressing client’s welfare in body, mind, and soul by using a variety of techniques and modalities best suited for each client.

Currently I am offering social therapy groups through Germantown Behavioral Solutions. Some of the group members might have a diagnosis of Autism, ADHD, ODD or something similar, while others might not have any formal diagnosis at all.

The format of these groups is based on techniques I have been trained in as well as techniques derived through Applied Behavior Analysis. I break down specific skills and teach them in small steps so they build upon each other and are easier to grasp. Some of these skills include, but are not limited to: starting and maintaining conversations, how to join a group, being flexible, sharing ideas, working together towards a common goal, learning perspective taking, nonverbal communication, using your social filter, and many more!

Being born, raised, and able to serve in the Memphis area has been one of the greatest joys of my life. I have over 10 years of experience in special education in the public school systems, where I worked as a teacher, behavior consultant, and administrator. I find it an immense privilege to work in the community that made me who I am by changing the lives of children and their families through the practice of applied behavior analysis.

My areas of specialty cover a broad spectrum of children and adolescents with disabilities or other behavioral concerns, ranging from autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disabilities, emotional/behavioral disabilities, and mood disorders to attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD). I am passionate about helping such individuals find their voice, stability, and independence to the fullest extent possible while also supporting their families in the process. It is an honor to have the opportunity to build trust, be a teammate, and advocate for my clients and their families at GBS.

My special interests are working with children and adolescents who are dealing with anxiety, helping parents with finding strategies to help them across settings, and finding organizational systems that help people of all ages do what they want to do with their life. I have experience with discrete trial training, natural environment teaching, individual and group therapy, Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy. I am currently accruing clinical hours to sit for the Licensed Clinical Social Work exam.

Christy has completed her doctoral level coursework and field work in Applied Behavior Analysis and is now doing research for her dissertation. She currently operates under the supervision of Emily Vanderpool, LBA, LPC-MHSP. She is a Registered Behavior Technician (RBT) through the BACB.

I am pursuing both a Master of Arts degree and an Education Specialist degree in School Psychology at the University of Memphis and I am excited to have the opportunity to intern here at Germantown Behavioral Solutions! I will be conducting psychoeducational testing under the supervision of Dr. Cyndi Jordan and mental health therapy under the supervision of Emily Vanderpool. I am looking forward to gaining experience with a variety of clients and concerns!

I am a graduate student pursuing a Master's in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the Townsend Institute at Concordia University. As an intern with Germantown Behavioral Solutions, I offer counseling for various clientele, including children, adolescents, and adults. I am passionate about walking alongside those seeking healing and growth within the therapeutic setting. I work with individuals facing anxiety and depression, adjustment issues, body image issues, addiction in family members, trauma, grief, relationship struggles, divorcing parents, and much more. My background is in social work, and throughout college, I interned at Youth Villages, Families Inc., and a boys’ home in Honduras. Before starting my master’s in counseling, I was an immigration paralegal for two years, where I had the opportunity to work with the family system. I am under the supervision of Emily Vanderpool.

I was born in Dallas, TX, but have been in the Memphis area since I was two years old, so I do claim myself as a “native” Memphian. I received my undergraduate degree in Early Childhood Education at Lambuth University and a Master’s degree in Reading and Literacy from Walden University. My love for children and education led me to teach elementary school for 13 years here in Memphis, TN. I decided to become at stay at home Mom in 2017 when I had my first child. Working as the virtual administrator for GBS gives me the flexibility to work from home and still be there for my children’s school events and extracurricular functions. Outside of work, I love running, reading, the great outdoors and spending time with my friends and family.