Clinical issues/specialties
- Anxiety
- Attachment Trauma
- Childhood Trauma
- Complex Trauma
- Depression
- Developmental Trauma
- First Responder Trauma
- Gaslighting
- Grief and Mourning
- Intergenerational Trauma
- Medical Trauma
- Pre- and Post-Natal Trauma
- PTSD
- Racial Trauma
- Relational Trauma
- Relationship Strain
- Religious & Spiritual Trauma
- Sexual Trauma
Populations served
- Adolescents (13-19)
- Adults (20+)
Clinical modalities used with clients
Therapy services location
Telehealth only
Clinical Style
Warm and direct, evidence-based and collaborative.
License
Licensed Clinical Social Worker #26754, Florida Telehealth Provider (TPSW1995)
Degrees
The University of Massachusetts | Bachelors of Arts in Psychology | 1998
Columbia University | Master of Science in Health, Mental Health and Disabilities | 2006
Advanced Trainings
EMDR Basic Training | EMDR Institute, Inc. | June 2021 - October 2021
Why I do this work
The "why" of human behavior has fascinated me since watching the Stanford prison study in college. I found it intriguing that participants behaved in ways that perplexed them after the study was over. It also affirmed to me how strongly influenced we are by our environments. After college, I worked in HR at a law firm and watched how work stress eroded the emotional and physical health of employees. I was so taken by this that I returned to school for counseling. My career includes providing group and individual therapy in inpatient, intensive outpatient, and outpatient settings, counseling the persistently mentally ill, and providing therapy and assessments in forensic environments for both men and women. I also created an overcoming work stress program that I ran for over 5 years as my interest in helping clients understand and resolve their work stress remains a strong interest of mine. As I have done this work across diverse populations, I recognize that at the end of the day we all want to feel that we matter, we belong and we are loveable. For a long time, I couldn't say that of myself and it was through therapy that I now can. I do consider my life's professional work to help others see this in themselves.
The best part of my job
The best part of my job is when I witness someone finally recognizing their worth and having it reflected in how they show up differently for themselves in their life. I believe that inner peace is the byproduct of recognizing your worth and I consider it a privilege to be present for that transformation.
How I spend my free time
First and foremost, playing with my children and family time! I also believe that moving our bodies is essential for emotional health so I make a point to be active every day whether it is walking the dogs or a solo bike ride. Additionally, I love to read and will pick up books and read a page here or there whenever I can.
Favorite quote
“Between stimulus and response, there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.” Viktor Frankl
“This above all: to thine own self be true.” Shakespeare
Top personal growth resources
- Childhood Disrupted: How Your Biography Becomes Your Biology And How You Can Heal by Donna Jackson Nakazawa
- The Body Keeps the Score by Bessel Van der Kolk, MD