About Allison

I was born and raised in rural South Dakota and have struggled with both depression and anxiety since childhood. Growing up, I never had a sense of belonging and blamed myself for it. As I got older, I became rebellious, impulsive, and self-destructive, and it wasn’t until I became a mother that I decided I needed to better myself. I decided to go back to school to pursue counseling. I earned both my Bachelor of Science in General Psychology and my Master of Science in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Capella University in Minneapolis, Minnesota. 

When I began clinical work, it didn’t take long for me to recognize that I want to work with clients with Borderline Personality Disorder. I recognized and related to some of the same struggles these individuals go through and that, like me, their biggest problem was not understanding their diagnosis or having any hope that life can change. During this time, I also served as part of my community’s mobile crisis response team working with highly suicidal individuals. And by happenstance, this is also when I found DBT. 

After getting trained in DBT, I never looked back. I went on to lead my former agency’s DBT Team and serve as a mentor for newly trained clinicians. As I taught and practiced the skills, I found my own life changing for the better and in 2021, it all seemed to come together. I attended a retreat at the Metta Meditation Center in Janesville, Minnesota. I knew learning more about meditation would be helpful but was astounded at the transformation. I stepped out feeling peaceful, content, and truly healthy and have since become a student of meditation.

I knew I wanted to create a program that intertwined both DBT and immersive meditations so in 2023, I decided to strike out on my own with the Comprehensive Care System and launched Vitalize Therapy.

In my free time I enjoy hiking, rockhounding, jigsaw puzzles, reading, meditating, and practicing yoga. I’m also a huge geek and can happily spend hours discussing Doctor Who and Lord of the Rings. But my greatest joy is spending time with my significant other and our 2 daughters. 

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