Hi! My name is Rebecca and I grew up in the Northeast, in Pennsylvania originally.
I have always had a deep respect for nature and was able to spend time at a lake house for part of my childhood. My happiest memories were outside talking with the squirrels, feeling the sunshine and being rejuvenated by the water. My childhood was not picture perfect, as is the case for many psychologists and healers. Around the age of 6 my parents divorced and I began to look at human behavior with a more inquisitive eye, with a desire to know what made people act in certain ways. By the age of twelve I knew I wanted to be a psychologist. I was on a mission!
I began studying psychology, officially, at The Ohio State University, in June of 2000 and graduated with a B.S in Psychology and a Minor in Women Studies in March 2003. All through school I was waitressing or bartending and continued my up close and personal study of people. I next took a year off after graduation to work at a 24/7 safe house for adolescents, which inspired my passion to work with children. I traveled all the way to Sam Houston State University in 2004 to begin my graduate training and after two intense years of study and a full year of internship I earned my specialist degree in School Psychology in 2007.
I began my first job as a school psychologist, in 2007, for Winston-Salem Forsyth County Public Schools in Winston-Salem, NC working in an elementary, middle and high school simultaneously! Shortly after beginning my career I had my first daughter. She changed the way I viewed everything. She is the reason I am where I am today, in regards to my spiritual development and holistic model. As an intuitive mom with a highly sensitive child I took steps to learn everything I could about her sensitivities. Through her, I discovered: clean living, clean eating, herbal medicine, nutritional interventions for mental health and many other healing modalities. I went on to have two more children, each with their very unique blend of sensitivities and mental health challenges.
I was passionate for children that had clinical mental health difficulties and decided to pursue the process of becoming licensed as a psychologist, so that I could practice outside of a school setting. After a grueling process, and while 37 weeks pregnant with my second daughter I passed the licensure test and was granted the Licensed Psychological Associate title. I left the school system for private practice work in 2015 at a local nonprofit. From 2016 (after birthing my third child)-2020 I dabbled in the psychology field but mostly focused on raising my children in a way that supported their mental health, as they are all neurodivergent (like myself!)
When the pandemic started I felt a calling to go back into clinical work, and in June 2020 I began providing psychological evaluations at another mental health practice in town. This was the next step on the path towards opening my own practice, which I did in May 2021.
Brighter Days was born out of a dark place, right smack in the middle of a pandemic, May 2021, with the intention that things would turn around and humanity would recover. I knew I was part of the plan, but was not quite sure how. Initially I kept offering my traditional services, fought hard to get paneled with insurance (way harder than you might imagine) and tucked my holistic skills and knowledge into my traditional psychology reports .
At this point I had trained in herbalism and reiki but still felt there was something bigger waiting for me. So I enrolled in a year long trade school for the healing and intuitive arts in 2022
What I love about my job now is working with neurodiverse clients to show them their strengths and how to work with their areas of difficulty. Illuminating areas they may not have considered as contributing factors, such as the foods they eat and how much sleep they get. We also have a lot of fun since our brains are on the same wavelength!
I am not a psychologist who will judge your journey, I’ve had mine too (we all have!) I consider life a growth spiral, where we are all moving towards our highest selves. Sitting in my office you will not be staring at a wall of diplomas behind me, but a beautiful background of butterflies. Symbolizing transformation. This is intentional; my degrees allow me to do this work, but that was just the beginning. I tend not to listen to people in authority just because they’ve earned a degree, but how I resonate with them. This is the vibe that I give to my clients. I am actively engaged in the sessions and make sure my clients feel heard and validated. I am here to hold your story, offer love and light, enhance your knowledge of your authentic self, and support your nervous system.
Fun Facts About Me
I love all music but especially the “oldies” music from the 50’s and 60’s
I have a special love for squirrels
I frequently attend dueling pianos events where I practice all my dance moves!
Some people think I sound Canadian based on the mix of my Pittsubrgh, PA dialect merging with an Ohio dialect
I love all things woo!
I can play Piano Man on the piano and was trained in classical and jazz techniques
I’m obsessed with oracle cards
I keep my office very organized but my home is a work in progress!
I prefer writing notes by hand and reading physical books!
I just learned this year that the iphone no longer has the jack to plug headphones into!
Puns are one of my favorite things (otherwise I don’t tend to think jokes are funny!)
I was mistaken for a landscaper at Harris Teeter when I showed up in my “gardening” clothes because I forgot I needed some ingredients to cook dinner. It’s clear I don’t do light gardening around the house, I go all in!
I have owned chickens and currently own two guinea pigs and an 80 pound dog.
I was at Yellowstone National Park during the closing in June 2022 for the rare flood and had to evacuate.
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