I have had the privilege of teaching at Florissant Valley for the past 12 years. Before coming to this campus, I served as a teacher and counselor at Southwest Baptist University in Bolivar, Missouri, and have also worked as an individual and group therapist, as well as a coordinator of adolescent pregnancy and parenting services in rural southern Illinois. I've also worked as a therapist and served as the coordinator of adolescent pregnancy and parenting services in Southern Illinois. I have a B.A. in psychology from Eastern Illinois University, and an M.A. in counseling psychology from Wheaton Graduate School.

Presently I teach the developmental psychology courses which include child psychology, adolescent psychology and human growth and development. I have also taught general psychology, social psychology, the psychology of adjustment, psychology of women, and the psychology of self-esteem.

My professional interests include life span psychology, gender issues, emotional intelligence, sexual abuse and victimization, adolescent pregnancy, and the psychosocial developmental issues that face adopted children. As an adoptive parent myself I am keenly interested in the processes by which adoptees resolve issues of attachment, loss and identity.

Because I believe that human beings learn best by "doing," my courses offer service learning opportunities that challenge the student to move beyond the classroom by participating in volunteer programs, observational activities and experimentation in their own communities.

I look forward to hearing from you by e-mail or phone concerning your comments or questions about the courses I teach, or about the Social and Behavioral Sciences Department in general.