“I have always been someone that others gravitate toward to discuss personal details and hardships. No other profession aligns with my desire to make others feel heard and less alone. I want patients to experience someone willing to be present and able to tolerate any emotion or burden they’re experiencing. Everyone should have the opportunity to be supported and provided space to heal. Simply put, I want patients to reach a point of functioning and contentment.”
Renae prioritizes developing rapport with her patients as she believes it is a crucial foundation. Her approach blends this strong relationship with attachment work, cognitive behavioral therapy, honesty, humor and mindfulness. Renae aims to walk alongside you, recognizing you are the expert on yourself. Progress depends on insight, motivation and willingness to change. Some people need to sit with their reality with another person present who is willing to hold the intensity of their emotions. Renae has the patience to sit with you until you are ready.
Entering therapy is an anxiety-evoking decision, and it can be helpful to know what to expect when you arrive at the office. During the evaluation, Renae’s primary focus is on learning your goals and what brings you to therapy. You’ll sit on a couch, usually with your feet on the floor and have a collaborative conversation. Subsequent sessions are primarily directed by you. Renae will be there to help, so don’t feel pressured to come with an agenda. She wants you to know that you are in control and cannot do therapy wrong. Some people want therapy to brief and to the point; others are looking for a long-term therapeutic relationship that lasts for years, and anything in between. Therapy is meant to adapted to the needs of each patient.
Renae is a Licensed Clinical Worker at the Pine Rest Forest Hills Clinic. After double majoring in Psychology and Spanish at Albion College, she earned her master’s degree in social work at the University of Michigan. Studying Spanish and spending time abroad in Spain were dearly important experiences for her. While Renae does not provide therapy services primarily in Spanish, she applies relevant cultural knowledge to her work with each of her clients. At the start of her career, Renae worked as a case manager directly supporting those affected by severe mental illness and substance use disorders. She began working at Pine Rest in 2015 where she has conducted individual psychotherapy ever since.
