BACKGROUND
I am a Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Certified School Psychologist, with over 25 years of professional experience working with adults, adolescents and children.  I have conducted psychotherapy with individuals who are embarking upon life changes, experiencing internal challenges such as depression and anxiety, or developing wellness practices.

Other foci of my psychotherapeutic work have been with and adults who wish to address relationship and family concerns and career decisions, as well as with lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning (LGBTQQ) individuals on many aspects of sexual and gender identity and relationships. As a certified school psychologist, I have worked extensively with children, adolescents and parents on understanding how emotional, cognitive, neuropsychological and environmental factors can affect an individual’s ways of learning and coping with life events.

PHILOSOPHY
Psychotherapy is a transformative tool through which to develop new ways to understand and approach life situations, foster resilience and manage challenges.  Observing life patterns and one’s own coping styles, noticing what works and what needs change, and developing the strength to make such changes, is what makes the psychotherapy process so powerful.

I am trained in psychodynamic and psychoanalytic approaches, and utilize cognitive-behavioral, existential and mind-body techniques to augment the therapeutic process.  To each therapeutic relationship, I strive to bring empathy, curiosity and wisdom gained from professional training and life experience.  I see my role as an observer, reflector and guide through the process of facing difficulty and making changes.  One of my mottos is “Life shrinks or expands in proportion to one’s courage.”  As your therapist, my role will be to help you learn from your life patterns, then work together in a partnership to understand what is creating difficulty, and find paths to reach your goals.

PRACTICE INFORMATION
My office is in Manhattan, and I am licensed to practice telehealth in the states of New York, Massachusetts and Illinois.  I am a member of the Taconic Counseling Group and the Hudson Valley Psychological Association, and serve on the Steering Committee of PFLAG Westchester.

PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCES
After receiving my doctorate from the Derner Institute of Advanced Psychological Studies at Adelphi University, I engaged in postdoctoral training at the New York University Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. I have served as the Clinical Director of Birch Family Camp, a summer camp program hosting families affected by HIV and AIDS.  Other positions include Chief Psychologist at the Herbert G. Birch Early Childhood Center, in Springfield Gardens, New York, and Adjunct Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at Queens College, City University of New York.  Currently, I am on the faculty as a clinical supervisor at the Derner Institute for Advanced Psychological Studies, Adelphi University.