Licensed to practice in Connecticut and accepts 9 insurances. Specializes in Depression, Anxiety, Trauma and PTSD
New to Grow
Starting therapy can feel overwhelming, especially if you've spent a long time carrying things on your own. You may be feeling anxious, emotionally exhausted, stuck in self-criticism, or wondering why the same patterns keep showing up in your life. My goal is to provide a space where you feel understood, supported, and empowered to create meaningful change. I believe therapy should be collaborative, compassionate, and practical. We'll work together to better understand your experiences while also building skills you can use in your everyday life. Although we'll explore difficult topics, therapy doesn't have to feel heavy all the time. I believe humor, curiosity, and genuine connection can be important parts of healing. I tailor therapy to each person's unique needs rather than using a one-size-fits-all approach. My work is informed by Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), mindfulness, and trauma-informed care, and I often incorporate creative approaches such as writing, storytelling, art, or reflective exercises when they resonate with my clients. I also integrate inner child and parts-informed work, along with body awareness practices, to help clients better understand themselves and reconnect with their strengths. I have extensive experience supporting trauma survivors, members of the LGBTQ+ community, and individuals navigating anxiety, depression, life transitions, and chronic stress. I also have a special interest in helping people heal from the effects of weight stigma, body shame, and experiences of being judged or misunderstood because of their bodies. As a PhD student, I am passionate about advancing research in weight stigma and bringing that knowledge into compassionate, affirming clinical care.
Our first session is an opportunity for us to get to know one another. I'll want to hear about what's bringing you to therapy, what challenges you're currently facing, and what you'd like your life to look like moving forward. We'll explore your goals together and begin identifying practical strategies that can help you start feeling more supported right away. My hope is that you'll leave our first meeting feeling heard, understood, and with a clearer sense of where we're headed together. Therapy is a partnership, and we'll regularly check in about what's working, adjust our approach when needed, and celebrate your progress along the way. If you're looking for a therapist who combines compassion with practical tools, values authenticity, and believes lasting change comes from both self-understanding and action, I'd be honored to support you on your journey.
I bring warmth, curiosity, and a collaborative approach to therapy. I want my clients to feel comfortable being their full selves in session, including the messy, complicated, and sometimes contradictory parts. I don't believe you need to have everything figured out before coming to therapy, we can make sense of it together. One of my strengths is balancing meaningful self-exploration with practical strategies. I draw heavily from Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) and mindfulness to help clients better understand and manage difficult emotions, navigate relationships, and respond to life's challenges with greater intention rather than simply reacting on autopilot. I want therapy to feel useful beyond the therapy room, giving you tools you can actually use in everyday life. I also enjoy getting creative when it fits the person I'm working with. Writing, storytelling, art, humor, and other reflective or experiential exercises can sometimes help us explore experiences that are difficult to put into words. I believe therapy should be tailored to you, not the other way around, and I'm open to finding approaches that make the work feel engaging and meaningful. Above all, I want my clients to feel empowered. My role isn't to tell you who you should be or what your life should look like. Instead, I want to help you better understand yourself, recognize your strengths, develop skills that work for you, and feel more confident making choices that align with the life you want. I also bring particular knowledge and experience around weight stigma. As a clinician and PhD student with a strong interest in this area, I understand how experiences of weight-based judgment, stigma, and shame can affect mental health and our relationship with ourselves. I strive to provide an affirming space where clients can explore these experiences without judgment and work toward a greater sense of self-compassion and empowerment.
My ideal clients are adults who are looking for more than simply a place to vent. They may be experiencing anxiety, depression, overwhelming emotions, relationship challenges, trauma-related concerns, or the everyday stress of trying to keep up with everything life demands. Often, they are thoughtful and self-aware but still feel stuck in patterns they can't quite seem to change. I especially enjoy working with people who are hard on themselves or who have spent a long time feeling like they are "too much," "not enough," or somehow getting life wrong. You may be navigating perfectionism, people-pleasing, shame, low self-worth, or difficulty trusting yourself. You may understand your patterns intellectually but want help turning that insight into meaningful change. I also value working with LGBTQ+ clients and with people who have experienced trauma, invalidation, or other experiences that have affected their sense of safety, identity, or connection with themselves and others. I welcome clients who want a therapist who will respect their identity and experiences while working collaboratively toward their goals. I have a particular interest in supporting people who have experienced weight stigma or body-based judgment. If experiences with dieting, body shame, weight-based discrimination, or messages about what your body "should" look like have affected your relationship with yourself, I'd be glad to create space to explore that without judgment or pressure. You don't need to know exactly what you need from therapy before you begin. If you're ready to better understand yourself, build practical skills, and feel more empowered in your life, we can figure out the path together.
I use Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) as a practical, skills-based approach to help clients navigate difficult emotions, stress, relationships, and everyday challenges. You don't have to choose between accepting yourself as you are and wanting things to change. DBT helps us hold both truths at the same time. I often think of this as a "yes, and" approach: Yes, this is really hard, and I can handle it. Yes, I wish things were different, and I can work with what is happening right now. Yes, my feelings are valid, and I can still choose what I do next. Together, we may work on recognizing emotional patterns, tolerating difficult moments without making things worse, communicating more effectively, setting boundaries, and responding to situations in ways that are consistent with your values. I also use mindfulness to help clients slow down, notice what is happening in the moment, and create more space between an emotion and a reaction. My goal isn't for you to never experience difficult emotions. Instead, I want to help you feel more confident that you can experience them without being overwhelmed by them. DBT gives us practical tools for doing just that, and we'll work together to figure out which tools actually fit your life.
I use a strength-based approach by looking beyond what is difficult or painful and helping you recognize the strengths that are already present in your life. Sometimes the ways we've learned to cope may no longer be serving us, but that doesn't mean they were meaningless. Together, we can explore what you've learned from your experiences, what has helped you get through difficult times, and what qualities have allowed you to keep moving forward. I don't see therapy as an exercise in finding everything that is "wrong" with you. Instead, I want to help you develop a fuller understanding of yourself, including your strengths, values, abilities, relationships, and the parts of you that may have been overlooked or criticized. A strength-based approach also means that you are the expert on your own life. I can bring clinical knowledge, ideas, and tools to our work, but we will collaborate on figuring out what makes sense for you. My goal is to help you build on what is already working, develop new skills where you need them, and leave therapy with a stronger sense of your own ability to navigate life's challenges. Ultimately, I want our work to help you move from "What's wrong with me?" toward "What do I need, what matters to me, and what can I do from here?"
I incorporate mindfulness into therapy to help clients slow down, become more aware of what is happening in the present moment, and create space between what they are experiencing and how they respond. For some clients, mindfulness might mean learning to notice thoughts and emotions without immediately reacting to them. For others, it may involve brief breathing exercises, grounding practices, or other ways of reconnecting with the present moment. Mindfulness doesn't have to mean sitting quietly and meditating for 20 minutes. We can keep it simple and practical, and I'll always tailor these practices to your comfort level and preferences. If you're interested, we may practice breathing or mindfulness exercises together during sessions and explore how you can use them outside of therapy. I find mindfulness especially helpful when combined with DBT skills. Rather than trying to get rid of difficult thoughts or feelings, we can practice noticing them with curiosity and learning that you can experience an uncomfortable moment without immediately having to act on it. My goal is to help you develop greater awareness, flexibility, and confidence in choosing how you want to respond.
I don't believe therapy should look the same for everyone. My approach is integrative, meaning I draw from different therapeutic approaches and tailor our work to your goals, personality, interests, and what feels meaningful to you. Rather than expecting you to fit into a particular model of therapy, we'll work together to find approaches that fit you. If you enjoy creative expression, we might use writing, storytelling, art, or other creative activities to explore your experiences. If you have particular hobbies or interests that are meaningful to you, I'm happy to incorporate them into our work when it can help us connect with your goals. Therapy doesn't have to look like simply sitting in a chair and talking about your week. I also believe that your identity, culture, values, and the systems you live within can be important parts of understanding your experiences. When helpful, I may incorporate perspectives from liberation-oriented approaches, including exploring body liberation, weight stigma, identity, power, and the ways social expectations can affect our relationship with ourselves and others. Ultimately, I want therapy to feel collaborative and genuinely relevant to your life. You get to have a voice in how we work together, and we can stay curious about what helps you feel engaged, understood, and empowered.