I grew up in south Florida and moved to Tallahassee to earn my undergraduate degree at Florida State University (FSU). I returned to FSU to earn a Ph.D. in clinical psychology with Dr. Thomas Joiner as my mentor. As part of my doctoral program, I completed an eating disorder-focused internship at the University of Chicago Medical Center. I then worked as a professor in the psychology department at North Dakota State University (NDSU) for ten years. At NDSU, I mentored graduate students, taught courses on child and adult psychopathology, and published disordered eating and suicidal behavior research.

I left academia in 2018 to work as a therapist. I have a Psychology Today blog (Out of the Ivory Tower), and I’m writing a scientifically-guided book for New Harbinger (The Suicidal Thoughts Workbook: Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy Skills to Reduce Emotional Pain, Increase Hope, and Prevent Suicide). I co-hosted a podcast (Jedi Counsel) for 3 years that explored mental health and psychological science through fictional characters, expert interviews, and current events.