My Story

 Teacher. Mom. Juvenile Court Judge.

Life aspirations of an elementary school Matina. And really, I am not far off from those, just in a completely upside down and non traditional way (thanks Jesus). Ok, well except this whole writing thing- 4th grade Matina who avoided writing at all costs is so confused about how that one came to be, but I digress.

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Compassionate support with a little bit (or a lot a bit) of challenge is what you get. With laughter and likely some tears thrown in the mix. I deeply value the process of transformational work and am committed to my own growth as I walk alongside others in theirs. It is an honor to be invited into the depths of someone else's world and I purpose to steward the trust well.

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I sort of fell into the world of residential life by accident, needing a job after finishing undergrad (Bachelor of Arts in Sociology from Westmont College) and finding the idea of having housing as part of your job very appealing. What has come from 10 years of living and working in residential settings is finding a love and fuller understanding of community. While I am an introvert at heart and deeply love silence and solitude (both of which can be challenging to find when you live on a campus with teenagers), the idea that we are made for community and that we each have something to offer and to receive from others has taken root in a very personal way.

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Working for years with adolescents and families in crisis, led me to pursue my Master of Social Work from the University of Southern California. I have held a clinical license in the State of WA since 2014 and worked in a variety of settings including community mental health, private practice and the inpatient psychiatry unit at Seattle Children's Hospital. I have significant experience around anxiety, depression, relational wounding and trauma. In my work at Annie Wright Schools supporting student mental health during the COVID pandemic, I was presented with the Strength in Leadership Award in 2023. I enjoy working with individuals as well as teaching/presenting on mental health and emotion regulation.

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Mental health, emotional health and spiritual health are deeply intertwined and working with pastors and ministry leaders has become a focus in my work. Serving as a ministry leader and volunteer in churches for 20 years and now as a licensed pastor with the Foursquare Church, I see the vital importance of tending to our souls in this way. We are all shaped by the experiences of our past and the cultures/contexts we live and serve in. These influence the way we see ourselves, God and the world. Particularly for pastors and leaders, we cannot neglect the work required to bring all areas of our life into alignment with the will and way of God.

Outside of my traditional work, I enjoy blogging, sharing bits of my life on my Youtube Channel and am in the beginning phases of writing a book. The travel bug bit early in life and no matter planes, trains or automobiles, I love to explore new places. I am close to checking off a visit to all 50 states and have over a dozen countries represented in my passport- well I would if they actually stamped passports anymore ;). I collect magnets and coffee from wherever I go and love re-visiting memories as I sip from one of my favorite mugs.

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Life has not looked remotely how I imagined and yet it has been the most beautiful, challenging all in adventure- being active and present but ceding control of the direction and outcome to God. Love that you are along for the ride too!

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ADVENTURING WITH JESUS