Meet Vanessa

Vanessa has a specialized set of skills and experience that have equipped her as a counselor over the last 20 years to work with women in all stages of life. In 2001, she served at Southeastern University as a Resident Director providing mentoring, leadership development, and counseling to over 200 female students on campus. At the time SEU was one of the nation’s fastest growing private universities. In 2003, she was hired as one of the first female Campus Pastors at SEU helping lead the student discipleship and personal growth culture for women at the university. During this time, she served under the leadership of Dr. Mike Rakes and Dr. William Hackett focusing on one-on-one mentoring, writing personal growth/spiritual formation curriculum and providing ministry to female students in the areas of identity formation, relational issues and life transitions. In 2006, Vanessa accepted the role as an Elder with her church in Central Florida providing spiritual leadership, facilitating small groups, and co-teaching at services.

Vanessa is passionate about coming alongside and serving as a guide for those who feel stuck or lost on life’s journey. Arise Counseling was birthed out of her 20 years of experience walking alongside women and witnessing their unhealthy patterns that were stemming from shame-driven decisions brought on by traumatic experiences. Vanessa cares deeply about helping women face inner-life obstacles by counseling through scripture and learning to embrace the love, healing power, and forgiveness of our heavenly Father by enabling women to cooperate with the Holy Spirit so they too can arise from the ashes and birth new life where pain no longer has a voice, but a grace-dependent, resurrected life will be their identity.

Vanessa has a B.A. in Pastoral Counseling from Southeastern University and a minor in Political Science from Kent State University. She has completed over 50 hours in continuing education in the area of biblical counseling and is currently a member of the American Association of Christian Counselors. She holds a certification in Victim Advocacy for Narcissistic and Religious Abuse. Vanessa continues to focus on her teaching and writing by equipping women with the necessary tools to grow in their journey by going to the place of their pain and removing the obstacles from healing and freedom.

In My Own Words

“I bring a unique element of experience to the counseling session because I also have a story of healing and restoration. I personally know what it feels like to take the first step towards healing. I have seen what trauma, shame, grief and life transitions can do to the heart. I know firsthand how depression and anxiety feels, and how suffocating they can be... which is why I’m passionate about coming alongside women in their journey towards wholeness, so they too can realize their identity in Christ.”

– Psalm 46:5