She completed a bachelors degree in photography at Montana State University and another in psychology at the University of Montana before pursuing a career as a psychologist. She studied clinical psychology at the California School of Professional Psychology in the San Francisco Bay Area and completed her postdoctoral work with Indian Health Service in New Mexico. Over the past 15 years, her work has been devoted to providing direct services to multicultural and underserved populations in community, educational, and medical settings. Her interests include resilience after trauma, issues affecting women, social justice, Jungian psychotherapy, creativity, and integrating spirituality in healing. She currently lives and works in Bozeman, Montana with her husband and their two young daughters.