Welcome to my practice.
I am a licensed professional counselor and psychotherapist providing therapy for adults. I work with individual clients from the age of 21 and above. I also work with couples and families with adult children.
Professional Practice & License
I am licensed in the State of Maryland and maintain a private practice in Annapolis, Maryland.
Education
Master of Science in Counseling Psychology from Loyola College in Maryland
Masters' Plus Program from Loyola College in Maryland
Bachelor of Science in Psychology from the University of Maryland University College, Cum Laude
Professional Affiliations
I am a member of the following professional associations:
- American Counseling Association
- American Psychological Association
- Association for Psychological Science
Experience and Approach to Treatment
My education and training background has been comprehensive and includes psychodynamic, cognitive-behavioral, and family systems approaches, among others. I have worked in a variety of therapeutic and educational settings designed to support clients in different ways. I have developed my own integrative approach to treatment that relies heavily on the application of information from neurobiological research and uses evidence-based treatment practices in the mental health field. My style of working with clients is education-oriented, interactive and collaborative. I emphasize cognitive skills as well as deeper emotional awareness.
I work with a broad range of mental health and behavioral problems including mood disorders; anxiety disorders; traumatic stress conditions; dissociative disorders; substance abuse and addiction; eating disorders; self-harm behaviors; suicidality; personality disorders; attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder and problems with executive function. A significant part of my practice is devoted to working with individuals and families managing chronic illness, including cancer and chronic pain conditions. With all patients, my focus is on health, wellness and improvement in functioning.
For the past five years, I have been working with Wellness House of Annapolis, an organization devoted to the support of cancer patients and their families through education and a range of wellness-related services. I provide individual counseling and facilitate support groups for cancer patients, as well as provide psychoeducation programs for managing chronic pain.
Approaches in my private practice are informed by Psychodynamic perspectives, Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT), Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Constructivist and Narrative therapies, Family Systems approaches, Existential orientations, and Evolutionary perspectives. Goals include helping clients learn to manage distress, regulate emotion, improve thinking processes, and become more effective in building healthy relationships. I have studied dissociative processes in children and adolescents through the International Society for the Study of Trauma & Dissociation (ISSTD) and I integrate information about the effects of trauma on consciousness, memory, perception, and personality into my psychotherapeutic approach. This helps clients to manage the abuse in their past as well as their maladaptive behaviors in the present.
I have experience working as a counselor and academic advisor at Montgomery College in Takoma Park, Maryland, which is a highly diverse community college campus. I have worked with students from many countries around the world helping them to address their educational, social, and emotional needs. I have taught classes designed to help students become more effective in academic settings. In addition, I have been an instructor with The Parenting Center at Anne Arundel Community College teaching parenting classes to many different groups on a variety of topics.
Earlier in my training, I completed a one-year Externship at the Diabetes Center at Mercy Hospital Center working as part of a comprehensive treatment team that included physicians, nurses, diabetes educators, dieticians, and counselors. Counseling can be an essential part of improving medical patients' treatment compliance as well as helping them manage emotions, which can be difficult when faced with chronic illness or health issues.
I worked with many individuals at Associated Psychotherapists of Maryland & ADEPT in Pasadena, Maryland providing mental health treatment for dual-diagnosis clients in a drug and alcohol treatment setting. In addition, due to the increasing number of individuals utilizing pain management services and their subsequent dependence on powerful narcotics, I understand the need for non-pharmacological approaches to managing chronic pain. My association with Elite Movement Connections allowed me to interface with physical therapists and fitness professionals to provide alternatives to drug treatment.
I take pride in my ability to understand the needs of my clients and to provide the services most beneficial to them. Sometimes it is necessary to refer clients for specialized care, including inpatient treatment. I work hard to find the right care, even if I am not the best one to provide it. I have utilized services for my clients at well-regarded area hospitals and treatment centers at times when more intensive treatment is necessary.