I am an NYU-trained psychotherapist and art therapist who is an advocate for every individual’s, couple’s, and family’s capacity for growth and change. Previously working with people of all ages, from providing therapy with children and teens to supporting adult caregiving, aging, and retirement, I see individuals as complex and multidimensional rather than a set of pathologies. So many factors—physical, emotional, interpersonal, financial, historical, and cultural—contribute to a person’s well-being that focusing on one symptom, diagnosis, or label ignores the wholeness of a person. I shape an environment in therapy in which these intersecting factors can be explored with trust and intimacy. This work requires honesty, courage, accountability, and vulnerability, all of which can be daunting to lean into. I help patients sit with and work through any discomfort while encouraging the excitement that comes with discovering healthier ways of being in the world.
So often emotional pain limits the ability to articulate and as a result, many people struggle with speaking about their suffering. With a Master’s degree in art therapy and formerly serving as an art therapist for individuals, couples, and families, I understand how art and other creative methods can be utilized as another means of expression that sidesteps the limitations of language to allow new viewpoints and realizations to emerge. Whether pioneering a creative arts therapy program in an outpatient substance use clinic or conducting group art therapy with child and adolescent Ukrainian refugees in Italy, I have found art to be an effective tool to process emerging thoughts, feelings, and memories that may have been obscured or unspoken. Merging creativity and subsequent deeper dialogue offers the opportunity to experience and make meaning from emotions that have been underrecognized.
Every couple and family unit is shaped uniquely as a system made up of individuals with their own history, culture, and experiences. Because of this, I don’t treat couples and families with a one-size-fits-all solution. Instead, I maintain an awareness of the vital role that each person plays in the functioning of a couple or family. I support each individual partner or family member to meaningfully consider these patterns of interaction, their roots, and their impact on one another and the system. The great challenge in couples and family therapy is to ensure that all voices are heard, an effort I make with great commitment. I am flexible about introducing fresh tools and approaches so that everyone in the room is engaged.
Early life for children and adolescents can feel like an ever-changing and tumultuous period. To assume that the suffering young people endure is simply them being kids or teens is to minimize their genuine distress. I take the challenges children and teens face seriously, including finding ways to foster comfort and connection. Tools from art therapy can be especially useful in encouraging growth among children and teens who have a hard time communicating verbally and feel supported by the arts. Through this variety of approaches, I help children and teens become better able to explore their developing sense of identity, articulate their emotional experiences, and build skills that will serve them long-term.