ABOUT ME

 I started my career working with survivors of trauma in a variety of clinical settings, where I observed the patterns and experiences that emerge from chronic states of crisis and stress in people’s lives. My goal in working with anyone, regardless of the severity of their symptoms, is to help them find safety in a relationship: when safety is established, there is space to collaborate on the work that will be necessary to achieve meaningful change, at which point recovery and healing can begin.

Though I have treated individuals who have experienced a broad range of mental health conditions, I am especially interested in working with people who experience various types of anxiety, including generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, phobia-related disorders, social anxiety disorders and other types of anxiety, as well as various types of depressive disorders.

I am also interested in exploring at how early upbringing experiences, attachment style, and mental health symptoms specifically come up in the context of adult relationships. I have found that paying particularly close attention to the patterns that come up in relationships – starting with those that come up in my relationships with clients – leads to essential insights. These insights can motivate clients to make changes in areas of their lives where they have felt stuck, thereby leading to long-term growth.

As part of my ongoing clinical education, I have received advanced training in contemporary psychoanalytic training. My professional experience has allowed me to share my clinical outlook and knowledge with other mental health professionals, for example as a guest speaker at the Suzanne Dworak-Peck School of Social Work at USC. I also have experience instructing licensed clinicians on how to effectively practice de-escalation principles in clinical crisis settings and training clinical professionals on how to practice safe and effective clinical fieldwork with those experiencing severe mental health conditions.

I am an Associate Clinical Social Worker (ACSW #95859), supervised by Kristen Zaleski, PhD, LCSW, a trauma expert, professor and author.