Mental health has always been deeply personal to me. I grew up in South Dakota, where many communities face some of the highest rates of depression, suicide, and addiction in the country, and I have seen firsthand how mental illness can affect individuals, families, and entire communities. I chose psychiatry because people I love have struggled with their own mental health, and those experiences shaped not only the provider I wanted to become, but also the kind of person I strive to be every day. Giving back by helping others find hope, stability, and a better quality of life is one of the greatest privileges of my career.

Before specializing in psychiatry, I worked in emergency medicine and went on to gain experience across community mental health, inpatient psychiatry, and both short term and long term psychiatric care. Those experiences taught me to stay calm in high acuity situations and gave me a strong foundation for caring for people with complex psychiatric conditions, complicated medical histories, and multiple diagnoses. I do not shy away from challenging cases because I know that some of the people who need the most support are often those whose stories are the most complex.

My philosophy is simple - every person deserves to be treated with compassion, curiosity, and respect, not defined by a diagnosis or reduced to a checklist of symptoms. I believe in taking the time to understand the whole person, using evidence based care, and building a treatment plan that reflects your unique goals, strengths, and experiences. My hope is that every patient leaves feeling heard, understood, and confident that they have someone in their corner who genuinely cares about their wellbeing.