About Me
Hi, I'm Carly. I'm a licensed professional counselor and board-certified music therapist. I help people better understand themselves, heal from their past, and build lives that feel more authentic and true to themselves.
I am anything but a passive therapist. I'll be actively engaged, asking questions, noticing patterns, and helping you better understand yourself. Therapy should feel collaborative, practical, and yes, sometimes even funny.
My Philosophy
I’ve always been fascinated by who people are underneath everything they've been taught to believe about themselves.
We've all been taught messages about who we are, who we're supposed to be, what we're supposed to care about, and how much space we're allowed to take up. Some of those messages shape us in wonderful ways. But sometimes they just sit there quietly, slowly growing until they become barriers to living our lives to the fullest.
Sometimes it's a traumatic event that changed everything. But more often, it's smaller and sneakier: inconsistent parenting that taught you love was conditional, years of being told you were too much or not enough, or subtle messages that convinced you to make yourself small or take care of everyone else first. You don't have to call it trauma for it to matter.
One of my favorite moments in therapy is when a client suddenly stops and says, "WAIT... Ohhh. That's where that's coming from." Or says, "I never realized that's why I do that." Witnessing someone come to those epiphanies is one of the best parts of my job, and I'm so lucky that I get to be alongside you on that journey.
What It’s Like to Sit With Me
Therapy with me is active, collaborative, and deeply engaged. I'm not going to sit quietly nodding for fifty minutes. I'll be asking questions, noticing patterns, challenging you when it matters, cheering you on when you need it, and helping you better understand yourself.
My hope is that you leave sessions feeling heard, with a better understanding of yourself than when you walked in, and feeling more confident to deal with the chaotic world we live in.
And somewhere along the way, Moo Moo or Magnum may decide they deserve a few minutes of our attention as well.
Outside of Therapy
Outside of therapy, you'll usually find me hanging out with my two cats, Moo Moo (my laser-obsessed shadow) and Magnum (our violent yet cuddly king), playing board games or video games, spending time with my boyfriend and trying to beat him at Mario Party, or watching the sunset on the beach.
When my vertigo decides to cooperate, I love scuba diving in the Pacific Ocean and looking for the incredible eagle rays that live here.
One of my favorite parts of living here is watching the howler monkeys that visit the trees around my house every morning and evening. Except when it's 5:00 a.m. and they wake you up like a frickin' rooster.
I'm also a huge fan of improv comedy and am still hoping to find, or maybe even start, a group here in Costa Rica.
Master's Degree in Music Therapy
Bachelor's Degree in Psychology
Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC)
Board-Certified Music Therapist (MT-BC)
13+ years of experience across inpatient psychiatry,
crisis intervention, PHP, IOP, outpatient therapy,
group therapy, and private practice.