ABOUT ME

Hi, I'm Danica! I grew up in California and Virginia and am currently a resident of Utah.

Education and Work 

For my undergraduate degree, I studied at Brigham Young University majoring in Sociology with a minor in Art. My senior projects revolved around the topic of post-partum depression. 

Immediately after graduation from BYU, I was offered a job as a Child Protective Services Caseworker for the Department of Child and Family Services in the State of Utah. I worked on the front lines, interviewing children about suspected child abuse and ensuring they were safe by working with their families and the state. Although my work was very rewarding, I left to stay home when my first daughter was born. 

While I was a stay-at-home-mom, I completed my master's degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through Liberty University Online where I learned essential skills to treating individuals' mental health in a culturally sensitive, trauma informed, and spiritually respectful way. 

During my year long internship, I was trained in Exposure Response Prevention (ERP) and Acceptance Commitment Therapy (ACT) and spent more than 600 hours working with clients who have obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). 

I currently continue to work with those with OCD with obsessions ranging from moral, religious, sexual, aggression, harm, contamination, and more. I also specialize in working with postpartum mental health struggles including postpartum depression, anxiety, OCD, and PTSD. 

Spirituality and Religion 

For many residents of Utah, religion and spirituality have a major impact on their important life experiences. Whether navigating staying religious in a mentally healthy way or trying to navigate healthy spirituality in a different direction, I can help you develop a sense of spiritual safety and freedom. This can include working through religious scrupulosity/OCD as well as religious trauma. It is rewarding seeing clients empowered to choose a fulfilling spiritual path with significantly reduced anxiety.

Other Hobbies

I love playing the guitar, writing music, drawing and painting, playing sports, reading sci-fi novels, anime, and being a mom and wife!

Thank you for taking the time to read a little bit about me. I'm excited to get to know you as well!