Licensed to practice in 2 states and accepts 17 insurances. Specializes in Child or Adolescent, Life Transitions, Parenting and 6 more.
(she/her)
New to Grow
I am a licensed clinical social worker with over 25 years of experience working with children and adults. I have primarily worked within school systems as an on-site therapist; as well as in my own private practice. I work with people who have a variety of concerns, including: trauma, attachment, grief and loss, divorce, school problems, anxiety and depression, life-phase transitions, and family conflicts. I value an eclectic and prescriptive therapeutic model, and am skilled at shifting gears when the need arises. My specialty is working with children 2 to 12. As a registered play therapist/supervisor, I understand the language that children routinely use to communicate: play. Through play therapy, children can explore new roles, act out challenging situations, and re-work beliefs about themselves and others. In parent-child play therapy (with younger children), we work together to build secure and safe connections, practice new ways of communicating, and foster JOY in your interactions. In addition to play therapy, I have trained extensively in EMDR (for children and adults), Jungian sandtray, the Oaklander Model of Gestalt Play therapy, Mindfulness, and Theraplay. Every one of these modalities is meant to foster relationships built on safety, warmth, security, and trust. My work with adult clients can be described as "going deep." I especially enjoy working with adult women going through life transitions (career, family, spiritual). In addition, I am interested in working with other therapists who experience clinical burnout. In my life outside of the office, I enjoy spending time with my family, crocheting, reading, yoga, walking, petting my cats, and spending time in nature.
I will invite you to share about yourself: with words, with feelings, and with play. Creative expression is a key aspect of the work I do. As a parent: I will meet with you before I meet with your child. I will explain how the engagement phase will work; and you will share with me what is going on that has led you to seek therapy at this point. We will follow a 4-session assessment process that is geared to foster a deeper understanding of the challenges, introduce you and your child to playful engagement in therapy, and set some clear expectations about what we may be able to accomplish. Parent-coaching can take place via telehealth. For individual adults: we'll have a conversation about what is bring you to seek help right now, and I will invite you to express what you are looking for: Help/resources? Being heard? Going deeper? I will likely ask follow-up questions from your intake forms. We'll discuss privacy/boundaries, and we'll set 1 or 2 reasonable goals.
Clients have referred to therapy with me as “transformational,” “life-affirming,” and work that “saved my family.” I bring my authentic self to the room. Clients often comment that working with me is similar to a supportive friendship (without judgement or drama). There is ample attentive listening, emotional attunement, and supportive response. There is also a tremendous amount of humor, creativity, mindful reflection, and genuine caring. "You were so patient, kind, professional and willing to help. You gave me advice and suggestions that I hadn't heard a million times. I remember feeling hope. Our child's anxieties lessened and her sleep improved. Through your work with her...an amazing transformation occurred." – Parent of a 6 year-old client
Ideal child/parent clients are working through developmental challenges, difficulties in family dynamics, school issues, or difficulties after upsetting life events. Ideal adult clients are women in moments of life transitions: changing jobs, relationships, or life trajectory. You might be working through peri-menopause, a divorce, a death or loss in your life. Maybe you feel stuck in your career. Or perhaps you are re-navigating your roles and goals at midlife. Your goals are not just quick fixes, or learning "tools." You want to go deeper, understand the root causes of negative patterns in your life, and look in new ways at your strengths.
With adults, I primarily use an eclectic approach, which means that I draw from many different methods and ways of engaging clients, based on their needs and how they want to work. I utilize Gestalt play therapy and Jungian sandtray with both adults and with children. I find that using expressive therapies can assist in opening up parts of the psyche that traditional talk therapy does not. I bring in mindfulness, somatic awareness, humor, and am always grounded in compassion.