About Me
I believe healing happens when we create space to listen deeply to ourselves, to one another, and to the wisdom of the natural world. My passion is supporting people as they reconnect with their authentic selves, navigate life's transitions, and cultivate greater wholeness, meaning, and purpose in their lives.
Whether through clinical practice, teaching, mentoring, spiritual guidance, or community building, I strive to create environments where people feel seen, supported, and empowered to explore the places within themselves that are ready for healing, growth, and transformation. Few things inspire me more than witnessing the profound shifts that occur when someone embraces their truth and steps more fully into their own life.
My path has been shaped by a lifelong commitment to service. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than twenty years of clinical experience working with individuals, families, veterans, and communities facing trauma, loss, change, and renewal. I am also a combat veteran with over fifteen years of military service..These experiences that deepened my understanding of resilience, compassion, and the human capacity to heal.
Today, my work bridges mental health, spirituality, nature-based practices, and community connection. I am committed to helping create pathways for healing that honor the whole person—mind, body, heart, and spirit.
Military Service & Healing
As an active-duty clinical social worker and military mental health provider, I had the privilege of supporting service members, veterans, and their families both stateside and overseas.
*Guided the healing and recovery process for individuals impacted by complex childhood trauma, combat trauma, traumatic loss, moral injury, and significant life transitions.
*Served as a subject matter expert in sexual assault response and treatment, as well as substance use treatment and prevention, on multiple major military installations.
*Deployed to Afghanistan as a member of a Navy Mobile Care Team, providing mental health support, stress resilience training, and HeartMath-based interventions to deployed service members.
*Facilitated Combat and Operational Stress Control training for U.S. and NATO forces, equipping personnel with practical tools to enhance well-being, performance, and resilience in high-stress environments.
*Served as adjunct faculty for the University of Southern California's Master of Social Work program in the Military Social Work and Families concentration and as faculty for the Navy Mind-Body Medicine Stress Resilience Conference.
*Worked as an embedded social worker within an Intensive Care Unit, supporting wounded warriors and their families through recovery, rehabilitation, and reintegration.
Integrative Approaches to Healing
I believe that every person's healing journey is unique. Lasting transformation often emerges through an integrative approach that honors the connection between mind, body, heart, and spirit. Throughout my career, I have combined evidence-based clinical practices with mindfulness, creativity, spirituality, and nature-based approaches to support healing and personal growth.
Following my military service, I continued my work as a clinician with both the Department of Veterans Affairs and the Department of Justice, where I incorporated mind-body medicine practices to help individuals cultivate resilience, self-awareness, and well-being.
As an earth-based Minister of Walking Prayer and Intentional Creativity teacher, I am passionate about helping others explore their inner landscape, deepen their connection to self, and live with greater authenticity and purpose. My work includes spiritual mentoring, facilitating transformative learning experiences, and supporting programs that utilize non-ordinary states of consciousness, creativity, and earth-based wisdom traditions as pathways for healing and empowerment. I also teach classes that use painting and creative expression as portals for self-discovery, insight, and transformation, inviting participants to access parts of themselves that words alone cannot always reach.
In 2025, I returned home to Michigan after many years in California and now call the shores of Lake Huron home. The beauty, stillness, and rhythms of the Great Lakes continue to inspire both my personal life and professional work. I am licensed to practice clinical social work in Michigan, California, and Utah.
When I am not counseling, teaching, or creating, you can find me soaking in the beauty of Lake Huron, exploring new adventures, connecting with friends and community, and enjoying life with my dog, Silver.
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Ferris State University
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Bachelor of Social Work (BSW) - 1999
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University of Michigan
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Master of Social Work (MSW) – 2001
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Center for Sacred Studies
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Stargate Mystery School - 2012
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Center For Sacred Studies
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Minister of Walking Prayer – 2013
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Education
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Intentional Creativity Teacher Certification 2023
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Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) – RTEP June 2022
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Emotionally Focused Couples Therapy (EFT) Externship - January 2020
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Certificate in Psychedelic Assisted Therapies and Research – California Institute of Integral Studies (CIIS) – November 2018
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Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing (EMDR) Attachment Focused level 3 – 2018
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Stress Management and Resiliency Training (SMART) certification - 2017
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Mind Body Medicine Train the Trainer - 2015
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EMDR level 1 & 2 - 2014
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Reiki Level I and II – 2014
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Prolonged Exposure (PE)- 2010
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Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) - 2008
Certifications
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Millegan J, Manschot B, Dispenzieri M, Marks B, Edwards A, Raulston V, Khatiwoda Y, Narro M. Leveraging iPads to introduce meditation and reduce distress among cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy: a promising approach Journal of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2015, 23(12): 3393-3394. Article Link
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Christian T, Edwards A, Stickler A, Henderson E, Markwald R, Narro M, Hess L, & Millegan J, (2017), Bridging Music and Military Mental Health: A Pilot Study Examining Music Interventions in the Military Outpatient Mental Health Waiting Room Environment. Music and Medicine: An Interdisciplinary Journal, 9, Issue 2: 105. Article Link
