In both my professional and personal life, I have found one thing to be true: we are most receptive to change when we feel safe and understood. As a psychotherapist, it is my responsibility and desire to cultivate this space in each session. I believe that therapy is most successful when approached through a systemic, client-centered, and strength-based framework. You are the expert of you and together we will explore different perspectives and tools to help you live a self-actualized life. Life is not linear, and so neither will be our work together. Through a collaborative partnership, we will explore the different thoughts, emotions and behaviors that life leads you to all while moving at your own pace.
My therapeutic approach is warm, engaged, conversational and judgment free. I am sex-positive and kink friendly and have enjoyed working with people from diverse backgrounds (i.e. BIPOC, LGBTQIA, or religiously affiliated). I use various evidence-based practices such as Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Solution Focused Therapy, Narrative Therapy and Motivational Interviewing to address challenges around anxiety, depression, mood disorders, ADHD, relationships, life transitions, grief, substance use, chronic conditions, trauma, sexuality, and perinatal and reproductive health – an area that I have a strong interest in as I pursue a certification in perinatal mental health (PMH-C). I also recognize the inextricable relationship between the physical and mental state of the body as I continue to explore and develop more somatic interventions, particularly when processing trauma.
I received my Master’s degree in Social Work with a certification in Mental Health Practice from Simmons University in Boston, MA. During my graduate program, I interned in a community mental health setting where I worked with adolescents and adults who were affected by anxiety, depression, OCD, BPD, ADHD, Bipolar I, ASD, and adjustment disorders. This marked a pivotal stage in my own therapeutic journey as it started a major career change. Prior to graduate school, I worked as a field ecologist and then as an associate microbiologist for almost a decade after receiving a bachelor’s degree in Plant Biology from the University of New Hampshire. It was during the COVID-19 shutdown that my interest in mental health on both micro and macro levels led to my decision to follow my life-long passion for helping people with their mental health needs. My work in a community mental health setting affirmed this career change as I got the privilege to witness the different ways each client exhibits resilience and grit in the face of their hardest moments. I incorporate insight developed from my own life transitions into my practice with clients who are struggling to find a path that aligns with their values. Therapy has the power to heal us, but it can also be difficult to sit in vulnerability. Therefore, it is my intention to meet clients where they are at, while fostering a space that challenges different perspectives and promotes curiosity and growth. With your input and feedback, I can learn how to best support you on your individual path to healing.
- IL LSW Number: Pending
- Supervised by: Gabrielle Pendley, MA, LCSW, CADC, PMH-C
- Type 1 NPI Number: 1154154235
- Accepts: BCBS PPO and BlueChoice plans, self-pay clients
Selected Training & Affiliation
- Cognitive Behavioral Therapy
- Dialectical Behavioral Therapy
- Motivational Interviewing
- Solution Focused Therapy
- Narrative Therapy
- 30-hour Crisis Counselor Training from the Crisis Text Line
- Perinatal and Reproductive Mental Health Training In Progress
- Member of Postpartum Support International
Key Beliefs
- “When I accept myself just as I am, then I change” – Carl Rogers
- Many problems are found in black and white thinking. Many problems can be solved exploring the gray.
More About Me
- I am a recent Boston transplant. This is the first time I have lived outside of New England.
- For me, self-care consistently looks like hiking, being in nature, identifying wild plants,making travel itineraries, knitting, solo trips to the movies, watching reality tv, snuggling with my cats and reading. I am also always trying something new like pickleball, Krav Maga, piano, writing horror movie reviews, or pressing plants until I quickly drop it for the next fun adventure.
