I work as an online relational psychotherapist in NY.  I work with couples and individuals over the age of 21. 

So before I get to how and why I’m qualified to do this work, first I want to give you an idea of the kind of client I work with best so you can figure out if we are a good fit. After all, it’s not just about education and experience, it’s about skill and personality, too.

I use the depth and variety of my education and work experiences to connect with clients who experience a loss of confidence and connection that often shows up as anxiety, stress or difficulties in different types of relationships. Clients who work best with me are people who are ready to give up old patterns that are no longer helpful, are ready to make changes in their life, and who implement strategies learned in session to help them work on their goals.

I work with people who are normally very skilled at hiding their feelings. They may be so skilled that they’ve hidden them even from themselves but now, things are becoming too stressful for that and they want to learn new ways to deal with the challenges they face. They’ve been able to survive by keeping busy with other people’s problems to distract themselves from addressing their own needs. Until now. Their anxiety is seeping out and they’re terrified of not being able to control that and it’s getting in the way of their quality of life. It can affect sleep, concentration and increase negative self-talk and may show itself as people-pleasing, perfectionism or chronic self-doubt. 

This can slow down or even stop, if they’re ready to learn how. We work to calm down their nervous system and help them tune-in to themselves to learn better ways to regulate their emotions while getting to the root cause of these thoughts and feelings.

With couples, I work with clients on increasing connection and attunement to self and others.  I do this through a variety of ways, including examining, processing and changing thoughts, feelings and behaviors that no longer serve them. They learn the ways that their attachment style creates barriers to connection in their relationship and how to make changes even beyond communication strategies (although we work on that, too). My goal is to help them help themselves to feel securely connected and bonded to bring out the best in their relationship.

My style is real talk – upfront (who has time for sugarcoating?) – but I don’t like the words “brutally honest” – ‘cause you can be honest without being brutal. I help you deal with your issues head-on with kindness, care and concern at a pace that works for you. I take an active role in sessions and in your treatment plan to help you take action on your own behalf in a real way. Being true to yourself is important – we can continue to build on strengths you already have and successes you’ve already experienced. I give you tools to help you calm yourself and get in touch with what you’ve been burying for a long time – so you can heal and truly be yourself. 

Now for the official stuff: I’m a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) in the state of NY. I graduated with a Masters in Social Work from Adelphi University in 2005 and before that with a B.A. in Sociology from SUNY New Paltz.

I’ve worked in mental health for over 15 years. I’ve been fortunate to have had a lot of great career opportunities across the mental health and medical fields (in both inpatient and outpatient settings) including being a therapist. I have had jobs that I loved (and some that I didn’t love as much). I taught graduate school social work students for several years, too. 

Being a therapist has always felt like home to me and it’s where I do my best work.  I’m grateful for the opportunity I am given to help others. 

If you’re ready to feel better and are willing to put in the work….please don’t hesitate to contact me here. If we talk and discover it’s not a good fit, I’ll gladly help you find another therapist who might be.