I am a New York University-trained therapist who helps individuals, couples, and families confront and process painful and difficult experiences in order to gain deep, lasting change. Previously working with people of all ages, from providing therapy with children and teens to supporting adult caregiving, aging, and retirement, I don’t rely on quick fixes. Instead, I cultivate an intimate connection with patients in which vulnerability is a strength and challenging material is welcome. When individuals feel understood in their most vulnerable state, they can get closer to the truth, authenticity, and self-awareness, all of which are essential for growth. I bring my humanity and humility to this work, noticing, listening, and empathizing while also reflecting back hard truths when needed.
So often emotional pain limits the ability to articulate and as a result, many struggle with speaking about their suffering. With a Master’s degree in art therapy, I understand how art and other creative methods can bypass these barriers to help adults, teens, and children process and make meaning out of emotional experiences that may be difficult to express verbally. My art therapy training continues to inform my psychotherapy practice through a sensitivity to the many forms of communication, both spoken and unspoken, and an appreciation for how patients and I can uncover and articulate feelings with more creativity, intuition, and play. Especially for adults in individual, couples, or family therapy, a sense of play can help people reconnect with joy and pleasure, break down rigid patterns of thought or behavior, open perspectives, and increase intimacy and understanding.
In couples therapy, addressing underlying issues such as unresolved conflicts, broken trust, and emotional wounds takes delicacy and patience for everyone in the room. As a couples therapist, I anchor myself in not taking a side while facilitating productive dialogue and mutual understanding between partners, even those with opposing needs, wants, and communication styles. By setting boundaries and maintaining structure and respect, I help couples hang in there through the tough moments, identify shared objectives, and learn to be more vulnerable with each other. My goal is for couples to come out of their ambivalence into a sense of resolution, whether that means doing the hard work of moving toward one another or deciding to end the relationship thoughtfully and with care.
As a family therapist, I know each family has its own set of strengths, struggles, and intergenerational patterns that can present challenges to family therapy, including simply getting everyone on board. Often there is immense unspoken grief within families that can manifest in multifaceted ways from communication breakdowns to unhelpful coping mechanisms. I normalize open expressions of emotion and grief and support families to look at how histories, past experiences, and family narratives inform current struggles. I’m motivated by the closeness that can occur when families actively engage in creating healthier, more nurturing relationships.
In my therapy for kids and teens, I strike a balance between offering support and empowering them to take ownership of their own growth. Building trust and rapport requires patience, flexibility, and creativity. Adolescence, in particular, is a tumultuous time filled with rapid physical, emotional, and cognitive changes. I help young patients grapple with meaningful questions of identity, autonomy, and purpose by encouraging reflections on their own beliefs, values, and goals. I also strive to understand a kid’s or teen’s experiences within their family and work to engage parents with strong guidance and leadership in order to best support their child’s capacity for change.