Olivia is a mother, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, friend, creative, and a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist.  Olivia received her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at the College of St. Benedict in St. Joseph, MN.  She received her Masters of Science in Marriage and Family Therapy from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL.  After living in Chicago for four years, Olivia and her husband returned to the state they now call home, Minnesota. 

Olivia views individual therapy, couple therapy, pre-marital counseling, and family therapy through a systemic lens, meaning she assists you in experiencing a change of perspective.  Instead of viewing your current life situation from only your perspective, Olivia will enable your view to broaden and to experience a peripheral view of your functioning within all the relationships surrounding you.  

While gaining the skills to view your own life experiences through a systemic lens, you will experience a new and increased understanding of those around you.  Your relationships with family, spouses, partners and friends may improve.  You may find yourself experiencing empathy for those who used to frustrate you.  You may experience a feeling of taking back control of your life and your responses to situations.  Situations that were previously upsetting, may no longer cross your mind or be bothersome. Going deeper within yourself, you will become experienced in identifying the function of your own behaviors.  Have you ever questioned why you made that snide comment or why you made that statement with the intention of provoking guilt in others?  Identifying the meaning (of the intention) of your statements, creates insight into understanding ourselves.  At times, we all experience vulnerable and sensitive emotions including, but not limited to: embarrassment, sadness, hopelessness, shame, confusion, insecurity, anxiousness, or jealousness.   By identifying the specific emotions we all experience, you can create the opportunity for significant therapeutic work to accomplish an understanding ourselves and our partners. 

Identifying and labeling our emotions is a learned skill, one that most of us did not experience during childhood to the extent that is needed in communicating with others as adults. As nice as it would have been to add emotion identification to our children's school curriculum, it does not seem to be a possibility in the foreseeable future.  Therefore, learning to identify our own emotions not only improves our relationships but will improve our children's future relationships, as they learn their communication skills from us, their parents.  In gaining the ability to identify our own emotions, we can better communicate with others, feel more understood by our family and friends, and allow stronger relationships as a result. 

Olivia is calming, empathetic, and intuitive, providing a safe and comfortable therapeutic experience. Olivia is passionate about assisting you to achieve your established therapeutic goals and provides encouragement and support throughout the therapeutic journey.