So what exactly can you expect from working with me?

When working with me, you can expect to be supported, understood, and guided as you make discoveries about yourself that result in lasting, meaningful change. I will honor and appreciate your quirks, your musings, your dark sense of humor, your hangups, and the times when you can't find the words to express what's going on. 

My approach to therapy is informed by attachment theory, trauma-informed care, psychodynamic work, mindfulness, insight from the coaching industry, and research based on vulnerability, shame, self-compassion, and creativity. In general, a 50 minute virtual session will consist of a check-in period, a longer exploration period, and finally a closing activity or summary. The treatments I frequently use include talk therapy, art making, expressive writing, coaching strategies, mindfulness & mind-body connection approaches, and EMDR.

A Brief Word on Art Therapy and Expressive Writing... Please know that you do not need to be an artist or having a writing background to benefit from expressive therapies like these. In fact, most of my incoming clients haven't touched an art material or a journal in years, or even decades! After trying it, even the most skeptical report that these processes unlocked new areas for growth, healing, and expansion.

The arts are undoubtedly a tool for communication, insight, integration, and relaxation-no matter the skill level of the creator/client. Why not connect with that deeper part of yourself that knows and see for yourself.

The nuts + bolts of my experience and training...

I have been so fortunate to witness breathtaking growth and resilience in my clinical practice across a variety of settings in the DC Metro region over the last 15 years— including work with underserved youth with severe emotional disabilities, adult victims of domestic abuse, and military members suffering from traumatic brain injuries and combat trauma. With a strong foundation in trauma-informed psychotherapy and treatment planning, I founded my private practice in 2016 where I have focused on working with adults dealing with challenges such as career and relationship stress, life transitions and new parenthood, anxiety and general stress management concerns.

I was trained at George Washington University 2010-2012, where I studied Art Therapy and Professional Counseling. While there, I focused on trauma-informed care through my coursework, research, and internships at Children's National Medical Center and Walter Reed National Military Medical Center. My graduate thesis research examined the role of attachment theory and the benefits of art-based interventions in treating children in military families experiencing deployment.

In addition to my work as a psychotherapist, I am a licensed art educator for grades PreK-12, and I teach part-time at a local elementary school. This joyful part of my week allows me to express my creative side and to laugh… a lot. It has also made acutely aware of the challenges that families, educators, and other professionals face in the DC Metro area. I bring this knowledge into my practice as well.