Member Profile

As a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW), I served the community as a mental health therapist for over twenty years. In 2018, following an advanced cancer diagnosis, I was sent down a new path. A path of illness and recovery. Struggle and healing. Turning toward death while also trying to live life with meaning and purpose. I have spent the last several years exploring death from many angles – attending death cafes, reading memoirs of dying people, and gaining insights from Hospice nurses, Zen teachers, and others who have dedicated their lives to being with people near death. I have explored and prepared for my own death, and as a facilitator of a stage IV breast cancer support group, I have walked with young women as they met their deaths. My decision to become a death doula was not made lightly, and I have since completed intensive trainings with the International End of Life Doula Association (INELDA) and The Dying Year (TDY) to expand my knowledge and ensure my readiness to do this important work with a calm mind and open heart. I am ready to serve.