01/29/2026
Northern Lights Therapy did not begin as a business plan. It began as a response to what I was seeing, feeling, and experiencing in real life. It was born out of frustration, heartbreak, and a deep knowing that people deserved something better than what they were often being offered in mental health care.
I started Northern Lights Therapy in 2020, during a time when the world felt heavy and uncertain. The pandemic brought fear, isolation, and grief to the surface, but it also highlighted something that had been broken long before. Too many people were struggling in silence. Too many were being told to push through, cope better, or wait until things got worse before asking for help.
I did not want to create another clinical space that felt cold or intimidating. I wanted to build something human.
The name Northern Lights Therapy came from a moment that stayed with me. Seeing the northern lights in Iceland was powerful in a way that words never fully capture. It was quiet. Steady. Beautiful without being overwhelming. That experience became a metaphor for healing in my mind. Healing does not need to be forced or rushed. Sometimes it happens simply by being present in a space that feels safe enough to soften.
From the beginning, my goal was to create a place where people could show up as they are. No masks. No pretending they are fine when they are not. No pressure to explain their pain in the right way.
I grew up around first responders and law enforcement, which shaped my understanding of trauma long before I became a clinician. I saw the impact of stress, loss, and repeated exposure to difficult situations on individuals and families. I also saw how often those experiences were minimized or ignored. That understanding continues to guide much of the work we do at Northern Lights Therapy today.
As the practice grew, so did my understanding of how deeply trauma impacts people across all walks of life. Trauma does not always come from one defining moment. Sometimes it comes from years of carrying too much alone. Anxiety, depression, grief, relationship wounds, and childhood experiences all leave marks. Therapy should be a place where those stories can be held with care.
Northern Lights Therapy now serves children, teens, adults, couples, and families across multiple communities in Arizona. We also provide specialized support for first responders, veterans, and their families, along with clinical supervision, professional trainings, and community education. While the services have expanded, the heart behind the work has not changed.
I believe deeply that therapy is not about fixing people. It is about helping them feel safe enough to understand themselves. It is about slowing down, building trust, and honoring each person’s pace. Healing is not linear, and it does not look the same for everyone.
I also believe that clinicians need support too. Providing care without being cared for leads to burnout, disconnection, and harm. Offering supervision, mentorship, and advocacy is just as important to me as providing therapy itself.
Northern Lights Therapy is rooted in advocacy because access to care matters. Ethical care matters. People matter. Mental health should never be reduced to numbers or profit. It should always center on dignity, respect, and humanity.
At its core, this practice exists to remind people of something they may have lost touch with along the way. You matter. You are worthy. You are enough.
Northern Lights Therapy is not just a place to process pain. It is a place to reconnect with yourself, to find steadiness in the middle of chaos, and to remember that you do not have to carry everything alone.
That is why I started Northern Lights Therapy. And that is why we continue to show up every day.
This blog shares the story behind Northern Lights Therapy through the voice of its founder. It reflects on why the practice was created, the values that guide it, and the belief that healing begins with safety, connection, and being seen as you are.
