About
I completed my undergraduate work in California, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree from The University of California, Berkeley. I went on to earn my Master of Social Work at Fordham University and completed my doctoral studies at Saybrook University in clinical psychology.
During graduate school I worked with children and families in largely impoverished, high risk & culturally diverse areas. These were families who were dealing with trauma, abuse and substance dependance. At that time, I also began working with adolescents and adults who struggled with acute mental health issues. Although my focus has shifted, I believe these and other experiences I received during my time as a graduate student have contributed to the depth of my experience as a therapist.
Following graduate school, I worked in academic settings. I have presented on issues of bullying, learning difficulties, ADHD, substance use, and generalized anxiety disorder to parents, teachers & students, I have run self-esteem and motivation groups for teenagers, created educational material on mental health issues for teachers, I have attended Individualized Education Program (IEP) meetings and I have worked closely with educators to pursue a team effort approach. As a former athlete, I have an interest in working with athletes as they cope with the stress and pressure surrounding the athletic experience. I have seen adolescents with a wide range of issues including, but not limited to, ADHD and learning difficulties, anxiety, depression.
In addition to counseling services, I have spent many years conducting ADD/ADHD assessments for adolescents and adults. I am not currently performing evaluations, but I continue I offer one-on-one treatment to improve executive functioning (EF) skills in individuals who struggle with planning, organization, time management and/or basic study skills. My model is to individualize the intervention based on everyone’s areas of need and to adapt the intervention to the needs of each family.
For almost ten years, I have worked in a private practice setting. While I continued to see adolescents and families, during this time my experience has expanded to working more closely with adults dealing with relationship issues, depression, anxiety, and ADHD. I have found this work to be highly rewarding. It has challenged me in different and exciting ways and added to the breadth of my experience.