I want to help you feel at home, at ease, and at peace in your body and life.
My Approach
“Both/And” comes from the idea that we can hold multiple feelings at any given moment. We as humans have the ability to experience fear, grief, anger, joy– and sometimes all at the same time. As a psychotherapist, I aim to create a space where we can untangle those feelings together in an affirming, nonjudgmental, and collaborative way. I draw from and have training in various modalities including AEDP, DBT, CBT, ACT, and psychodynamic, among others, to help clients gain a better understanding of their relationships to their inner and outer worlds. Read more about these modalities below.
Helping you feel seen, understood, and challenged in therapy can transform the way you relate to yourself and others outside of the therapy room. Together we will explore recurring thoughts, difficult emotions, and work together to change your behavior patterns to be more aligned with who you are.
I understand that decades of discomfort and shame rooted in childhood and adulthood can feel impossible to overcome. However, I have seen firsthand the power that a connection with the right therapist can have. I truly believe recovery of all kinds is possible for everyone, regardless of how long you have felt at war with yourself.
My Experience
I have worked with clients struggling with a wide range of life experiences including various forms of trauma, aftereffects of the carceral system, and substance abuse. I have worked in higher level of care settings including residential treatment and have most recently held the position of Clinical Director at an eating disorder PHP, IOP, and outpatient treatment center. My current clinical work focuses on helping people recover from eating disorders/disordered eating, folks navigating gender/sexuality, and people experiencing traits aligned with borderline personality disorder and attachment trauma.
My Modalities
AEDP
Accelerated Experiential Dynamic Psychotherapy (AEDP) is a relational approach aimed at helping clients regulate anxiety, connect with their core emotions, and tolerate related bodily sensations in the present moment. The therapeutic relationship aims to “undo the aloneness” so many of us perceive when experiencing intense emotions. This approach can reduce symptoms of trauma without talking directly about the events.
ACT
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) is a modality that supports behavior change motivated by connection with one’s core values. Many clients find some of their behaviors do not reflect their values or who they wish to be in the world. ACT can help clients increase their psychological flexibility by becoming more aware of when their actions are misaligned with their authentic self and make more values-based choices in their behavior.
DBT
Dialectical Behavioral Therapy (DBT) is a therapy that helps people who struggle with emotion regulation. Inability to regulate one’s emotions may show up in impulsive, self-destructive behaviors such as binge drinking or behaviors that create conflict in interpersonal relationships such as instigating arguments and lashing out. Through learning and practicing skills both in and out of session, clients learn how to tolerate hard emotions, effectively advocate for their needs in relationships, and decrease behavioral impulsivity.
Psychodynamic
Psychodynamic theory states that as humans, we are motivated by unconscious processes. The messages, attunement, and care we received in childhood informs how we navigate our adult relationships. This may show up in unexpected ways, including how we seek support, how we receive feedback, and how we show up for ourselves. Psychodynamic psychotherapy aims to increase insight into the “why”s of our behavior, mindset, and belief system.
CBT
Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is a therapy focused on changing thought patterns. By identifying fallacies in the way one thinks in the therapy room, clients can learn to eventually stop and replace problematic thought patterns on their own, which in turn leads to changes in emotions and behaviors.
I received my BS in Social Work and my BA in Gender Studies from Skidmore College. After working as a case worker and a sex educator, I went on to receive my Master of Social Work from Smith College School for Social Work. I have worked with clients struggling with a wide range of life experiences including eating disorders, mood disorders, various forms of trauma, substance abuse, and age-related life transitions. I have worked in residential treatment and most recently held the title of Clinical Director at an eating disorder treatment center providing PHP, IOP, and outpatient programming.
When I am not with clients, you can find me enjoying live music, reading, or sinking into one bad reality show at a time with my cats, Millie and Jan.