Background

I received my doctorate in clinical psychology from Long Island University – Brooklyn Campus where I focused on developmental and substance use specialties. Following my graduate training, I completed a postdoctoral fellowship in adolescent treatment and addictive behaviors at an intensive outpatient program in New York City. I have worked in a variety of settings, including child, adolescent, and adult inpatient treatment programs as well as both clinical and research outpatient centers. Prior to establishing my private practice in Burlington, I directed a federally funded clinical research study evaluating moderation-focused treatments for problem drinkers. In addition to clinical practice and research, I have enjoyed teaching developmental psychology, personality psychology, career counseling, psychological assessment, play therapy, and child and adolescent psychotherapy to graduate and undergraduate students as an adjunct professor.

Approach to Psychotherapy

At the heart of my philosophy is that we are wired to relate, and it is through relationships that acceptance, change, healing, and growth take shape. Using a psychodynamic approach, my work is driven by an expectation that there is hope and that recovery is possible. Whether we are looking at thought patterns and behaviors, exploring dialectics, addressing motivation, or delving into the past, one of my primary functions is to simultaneously attend to aspects of relationships. These may be relationships with your self, with another person, with an object such as a substance, with an idea or event, or with me as the therapist. We will likely discuss these relational patterns as they become evident in order to more fully understand the foundations of your difficulties as well as your choices for addressing them. Through this process, I aim to consider all aspects of a person and leave room for more than one pathway to an outcome, honoring the values and goals of the individual in their context as well as my own goal of helping others to find peace, comfort, and fulfillment.