About Me
I have been a practicing psychotherapist since 1993. I earned my Master's degree from the University of Virginia and my Ph.D. from Tufts University. Although my academic training had a traditional focus, early on in my career I felt that something more I had to offer was missing in my work as a therapist and I found I wasn’t comfortable thinking about people experiencing emotional distress as having an illness. It was my belief then, as it is now, that living this human experience is not easy and that it is impossible to get through life without experiencing some degree of suffering. Most people at some point in their lives will have physical and/or emotional reactions to these experiences and this will take them away from being able to live an authentic life filled with feelings of contentedness and peace.
As my experience and confidence in trusting my inner compass grew, I allowed a more comfortable way of being with my clients to emerge. I began to keep my clients company with their lives in a way that felt more true to who I am and I sought out trainings that would allow me to integrate my beliefs about the human experience with what I intuitively felt were deeper ways of connecting with my clients and their experiences.
While I continued to develop as a practitioner over the years, I made sure that I continuously educated myself on current evidence-based research to understand what types of interventions worked best and for whom. Many traditional approaches to therapy are shown to be effective. However, I have come to embrace the belief, both from my own clinical work as well as my professional trainings, that a more holistic approach to therapy allows for a deeper healing experience. I use both traditional as well as holistic approaches in my work and I collaborate with my clients on what approaches feel most helpful for them.
Although I have received training and utilize a variety of mind-body and energy psychology approaches with my clients, at the core of my work is my relational approach and my firm belief that we all have the power and capability to solve our life challenges. What is often needed, however, is guidance and support from a genuinely caring and attentive therapist who has the tools and ability to help clients find answers that are hidden inside of themselves. My clients’ struggles are actively listened to and there is collaboration in working to solve problems. I rely heavily on my intuitive abilities to help me serve as a guide and I help my clients learn to trust their own inner compass in the journey to solve their life challenges.
In addition to using my intuitive abilities and many of my professional trainings in my work as a therapist, I also rely on my life experiences and the many teachings these have offered me over the years, which has included the opportunity to experience the joys AND challenges of raising 3 children to adulthood.