I am a Licensed Counselor, who is also fluent in Sign Language. I am not a Certified Interpreter, but I have been signing since 1981.
Sign Language is one of my passions. For me, it adds a wonderful dimension to the counseling experience.
I started my career by Counseling Deaf people back in 1981, when I worked at the Texas School for the Deaf.
My passion for the language has only grown throughout the years. I was blessed to be active in the vibrant Deaf community back in the 80’s when Deaf Pride was high. At that time I King Jordan became President of Gallaudet University and Marlee Matlin won an Oscar for Children Of A Lesser God. I became involved in theatrical Interpreting through the Deaf Service Center which was located at UNF Jacksonville, and the local deaf club.
When I moved to Florida in 1984, and discovered that there were no Counseling Services for the Deaf, in existence at the time. So, I decided to create some. I found the Deaf Service Center, which was located at UNF. Through their guidance, I became a dedicated advocate for Deaf Rights in Mental Health. I contacted the various community mental health agencies and hospitals, and provided free Sign Language Classes to several counselors, and also taught them about deaf culture, the rights of the hearing impaired, and about deaf pride.
In 1989, I decided that a bachelor’s degree was not sufficient to provide the services needed, so I went to graduate school. I have been fortunate to have counseled many deaf people over the years.
I serve clients via tele-health all throughout Florida and Georgia.
Contact me at (904) 326-8886