You may be reading about me because you are feeling overwhelmed by relentless worries, fear, panic, perfectionism, painful and traumatic memories, tics, or intrusive thoughts.  You may feel stuck in an endless, repetitive cycle of ineffective behaviors trying to find relief.  Perhaps you feel guilty or ashamed of your struggles and how they are affecting your loved ones and even believe “I shouldn’t feel this way” or “I should just get over it”.  There is hope!  With compassionate understanding, I join you where you are and provide you with tools to find relief. I believe that you are doing the best you can with what you believe about yourself, others, and the world. I will walk with you using guided exploration to discover your personal patterns, how they were developed, and teach you new skills to experience triumphs in your life. Together, we can discover your strengths, learn new behaviors, grow your resilience, and shift your relationship with yourself to one of peace.

Or, perhaps you are the parent of a child who is struggling with intense behaviors or feelings. You're doing the best you can to help them but you're not sure if you're doing the "right thing" or if your reactions are making it worse. You may be feeling helpless and stuck.  Seeing your child suffering and dealing with behavioral outbursts can be heart wrenching and exhausting.  I believe you are an integral part of your child’s treatment. Along with directly working with your child, I help you with the enormous task you have as a parent.  I help you bring calm to your home by coaching you in how to help your child through their struggles. 

In addition to my clinical work, I provide evaluations for diagnostic clarification for many disorders including ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Tourette Syndrome, and many more for children and adults.  I have experience in schools working with children and adults with autism, developmental disabilities, emotional disturbances, and learning disabilities. I value working collaboratively with families and school teams to address disabilities, mental health, and school-related difficulties. 

Education: 

• BA in Communicative Sciences and Disorders, Speech Pathology

• MS in Education, Education Specialist

• MA in Clinical Psychology

• PsyD in Clinical Psychology, Family Psychology

Experience contributing to clinical therapy practice: Worked with children in schools, adults in community mental health, single parents in an outpatient hospital setting, adolescents and young adults in private and state universities, and children, adolescents, and adults in private practice.

Experience contributing to clinical assessment practice: Almost 20 years of special education experience in public schools: first as a Mild/Moderate Special Education Teacher and Reading Specialist, and then as a School Psychologist.

Advanced clinical training: Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Comprehensive Behavioral Interventions for Tics (CBIT), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) for a variety of mental health concerns and disorders.  

Certification: 

• CBIT through the Tourette Syndrome Behavior Therapy Institute (TS-BTI)

•  Currently working on certification for EMDR. 

Treatment Specializations: 

• Anxiety Disorders

• Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

• Trauma

• ADHD

• Tourette/Tic Disorders