My son’s coming out created a great shift in my life that over the years led me to a much greater sense of purpose and possibility. Since we’ve had “the talk,” I embarked on an ongoing journey of personal growth and transformation which led to my becoming a psychotherapist. In 1996, I received my Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling and began working as a therapist in private practice specializing in Gay and Lesbian Issues, Women’s Empowerment, Life Transitions, and Dream Interpretation.

For the last twenty years, much of my work was focused on empowering individuals, both gay and straight to believe in themselves and to guide them on their personal healing journey. I have spoken at college sociology and psychology classes, company diversity programs, churches, and numerous groups, including leading a six-week group with my husband for parents with gay children, and did a radio interview on StoryCorp that was featured on National Public Radio (NPR). While I worked with a number of other issues, I was especially passionate about counseling parents of gay men and women. A longtime member of PFLAG (Parents, Family, and Friends of Lesbians and Gays), I served on the Orlando Board for over eighteen years and on the Orlando Board of Directors of GLBCC (Gay, Lesbian, and Bisexual Community Center) for 3 years. To add our voices to the cause of gay acceptance, my husband and I wrote a column for 2 years called, “A Parent’s Perspective,” in Watermark, Central Florida’s largest bi-monthly gay newspaper.

Since I retired I wanted to find a way to help others. So currently, I’m sharing the meaningful stories that I told to my clients over the years, stories that made a difference in their lives on my YouTube Channel: Stories to Change Your Life.