Denise is a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 40 years of professional experience in the field of Social Work. She began her counseling career in 2003 in West Memphis, Arkansas. There she worked with children and families in helping them face the challenges of poverty and broken/dysfunctional families. She enjoyed sharing in the hard-won rewards and blessings of her challenging labor in this field. Prior to that time, she worked for the State of Tennessee as a social worker in Corrections, Child Welfare, and Foster Care. In 2006, she moved to East Texas to be closer to family and began working with the elderly and disabled in long-term care facilities. This had become a primary area of expertise and a vital and cherished part of her career. She also worked part-time at Oceans Behavioral Hospital providing group and individual therapy in their Inpatient and Intensive Outpatient programs for individuals 55 and older. Before coming to Life Works Counseling, Denise worked for 6 years at Crossover Counseling, primarily this was with adults and seniors who have depression and anxiety disorders often associated with chronic illness or painful losses in their lives. Also, because of her interest in helping others who were struggling with bipolar disorder, PTSD, or panic disorders, she received specialized training in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in 2016. Denise's varied training allows her to draw from a large repertoire in assisting others. One of her favorite approaches is using the strengths perspective which empowers individuals to draw from their God-given personal strengths to value themselves so they can set and accomplish goals and undergo therapeutic change.

Denise has been "in the trenches" for a long time and loves her vocation now more than ever. She has a Masters degree in Social Work from the University of Tennessee. She recently moved back to the Memphis area after 13 years in Texas. She has 2 grown children and a son-in-law who is the pastor of Broadway Baptist Church in Southaven, MS. God has also blessed her with 4 wonderful grandchildren with whom she loves to spend time whenever she has the opportunity.

Special Areas of Interest:

• Grief and Loss

• PTSD

• Anxiety

• Depression

• Aging

• Trauma

• Women's issues

• Life Transitions

• Bipolar Disorder