Wendy’s journey to becoming a therapist began as a desire to help others through encouragement when she was very young. As an educator, mother, and minister's wife, she has been learning how to create and sustain a spiritually and emotionally healthy life, marriage, and family for more than 28 years. Her family spent more than 12 years living in a cross-cultural environment. Wendy knows what it feels like to be an outsider and misunderstood, facing circumstances beyond her control. Her compassion for others has grown as she has faced trials that have taught her to let go of fear and judgment. She strives to live daily in a spirit of grace toward herself and others, remembering the grace that she has been given throughout her lifetime.

Wendy earned a bachelor’s degree in secondary education from Valdosta State University in 1993. After returning from three separate tours as a cross-cultural worker in Central Asia, she attended Richmont Graduate University, earning a master’s degree in clinical mental health counseling and a certificate in marriage and family therapy. She worked with children, adolescents, and families under board-certified art therapist Teresa Woodruff's direction at Art It Out Therapy in East Cobb. There she learned to incorporate creative expression into various therapy modalities, including cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavior therapy (DBT), and person-centered and group therapy. Wendy also worked with individual adults and couples at Hope Counseling Center in Marietta. To further her work with couples and families and gain a better understanding of the role of attachment in relationships, she studied emotionally focused therapy (EFT) under James Hawk, PhD., LPC. Wendy is in the certification process for EFT.

Wendy receives strength and encouragement from her faith in Christ and believes it informs every area of her life. As a follower of Christ, she is compelled to love others as she has been loved. To Wendy, that includes respecting the personal beliefs of others, even if they differ from her own. She hopes that every person she is with experiences compassion and a nonjudgmental spirit from her. If incorporating your personal faith into therapy is something you want, Wendy will gladly do so. However, she will not force her beliefs on you. Wendy welcomes clients from any faith or with no faith background at all.

Wendy loves working with school-aged children, adolescents, individual adults, couples, and families. She believes that play is the primary language of children and incorporates creative expression, play therapy, and games into her work with them. She also uses media and art therapy with adolescents—and adults! Wendy believes everyone can benefit from creative expression. She has a passion for working with couples and families and has chosen EFT as her primary therapy model. According to authors Candice C. Beasley and Richard Ager (2019), EFT is one of the most effective, researched-based, relational therapies for couples. Having experienced EFT as both a client and therapist, Wendy can vouch for its effectiveness. At Family Renewal Counseling in Woodstock, she is now under the direction and supervision of Christie Poole, MS, LMFT, and board-certified supervisor Erin Holcomb, MS, LPC.