New to Grow
Beginning therapy can feel vulnerable, but it can also be a powerful step toward meaningful change. I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with over 30 years of experience working with adolescents, adults, couples, and families. I am licensed in New York, Virginia, California, and Washington, and am approved by the Virginia Board to provide clinical supervision. I have worked in schools, foster care, public mental health, substance use treatment, and private practice, which gives me a deep understanding of how trauma, relationships, and life transitions shape our emotional well-being. I specialize in trauma-informed care and support clients navigating anxiety, mood disorders, complex trauma, relational challenges, and identity development, including gender and sexuality exploration. As a PhD student at the International Institute for Clinical Sexology, specializing in Advanced Gender Therapy, I provide affirming and thoughtful care. My approach is collaborative, respectful, and grounded in evidence-based practice. Together, we focus not only on reducing distress but on building resilience, clarity, healthier relationships, and greater self-trust. My goal is to create a space where you feel safe, understood, and empowered to move forward.
In our first session together, here's what you can expect
Starting therapy can feel a little uncertain, and that’s completely normal. In your first session, we’ll take the time to get to know each other and explore what brought you here. You might talk about what feels challenging, what you hope to change, or even just what’s been on your mind lately. There’s no pressure to have all the answers—this is your space to be seen, heard, and understood. We’ll also discuss how you cope with stress, anxiety, or difficult emotions, and I’ll answer any questions you have about therapy, confidentiality, or my approach. My goal is to help you feel safe, supported, and clear about the next steps, whether that’s continuing therapy or simply reflecting on what we’ve discussed. As we continue, sessions build on what we discover together. We’ll explore patterns, relationships, and life challenges, while also developing tools to reduce distress, strengthen resilience, and deepen self-understanding. Each session is collaborative and tailored to your needs, helping you build clarity, self-trust, and healthier connections—with yourself and others. By the end of a session, many clients notice a sense of relief, insight, or renewed confidence. My goal is for you to leave feeling seen, empowered, and supported, with a clearer sense of your next steps and the tools to carry forward between sessions.
The biggest strengths that I bring into our sessions
With over 30 years of clinical experience, I quickly recognize patterns in relationships, coping strategies, and long-standing dynamics. This allows us to move toward meaningful insight and change with clarity and purpose. Clients describe me as direct, compassionate, and grounding. I believe clarity is an act of care — I name what I see thoughtfully and respectfully, creating a space where honesty feels safe. I integrate intuition with intellect, bringing both emotional attunement and analytical depth to our work. Therapy with me is engaged, purposeful, and focused on building resilience, insight, and self-trust.
The clients I'm best positioned to serve
Like you, I’ve navigated moments of uncertainty, self-doubt, and change. I know what it’s like to question who you are, struggle in relationships, or face a life transition that feels overwhelming. I’ve spent decades exploring human behavior, identity, and emotional growth—not just in my work with clients, but as a lifelong learner committed to understanding what it means to heal, grow, and live authentically. That shared curiosity and understanding is at the heart of how I work: collaboratively, respectfully, and with deep attention to who you are and what matters most to you.
Gender-affirming therapy
I provide gender-affirming, evidence-based care to transgender, nonbinary, and gender-diverse individuals. My clinical work is informed by current research and ongoing doctoral training in advanced gender care. I support clients across the lifespan in identity exploration, transition-related care, and navigating medical, relational, and systemic contexts.
Cognitive Behavioral (CBT)
My CBT work is grounded in over 30 years of clinical practice with individuals, couples, and groups. I integrate structured cognitive and behavioral strategies with careful attention to relational patterns, emotional processes, and real-world application.
Dialectical Behavior (DBT)
I provide Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)-informed treatment grounded in extensive training and over 30 years of clinical experience. My work includes individual therapy, skills groups, and integration of DBT principles with couples and family systems when appropriate. I focus on helping clients build emotion regulation, distress tolerance, interpersonal effectiveness, and mindfulness skills to create meaningful and sustainable change.
Mind-body approach
I utilize a mind–body approach that recognizes the reciprocal relationship between physiological processes, emotional regulation, and cognitive patterns. Drawing on over 30 years of clinical experience, I integrate evidence-based interventions with attention to nervous system functioning, stress response, and somatic awareness to support sustainable psychological change.
Couples Counseling
My couples work focuses on identifying recurring relational patterns and helping partners understand the emotional drivers beneath conflict. Drawing on three decades of clinical experience, I integrate structured interventions with attention to attachment, regulation, and accountability to foster meaningful and sustainable change.