Growing up in South Brooklyn, I was surrounded by the sounds of Mandarin, Russian, Korean, Cantonese, Yiddish, Italian, Spanish and Arabic; from an early age I was fascinated by other cultures and curious about how they differed from my own. A creative, sensitive and introspective child, I was drawn to the performing arts and spent years studying piano and training pre-professionally in ballet.

While an undergraduate at Columbia University, I chose to study both Psychology and Anthropology, as I felt that the two disciplines were inseparable; I believe that we cannot truly understand a person’s habits, choices, and patterns of thinking unless we understand where they are situated. A chance encounter with an explosion near Grand Central Station during this time helped me understand the impact of trauma first-hand and sent me down the path of seeking to understand how to heal it as a result.

I view this work as a vocation and believe in keeping therapy accessible. I thrive when getting to the root of an issue and assisting clients to see themselves and others differently; to me, good therapy is both an art and a science. While my orientation is primarily integrative, I believe that the most powerful component of a therapist and client relationship is goodness of fit. My goal and purpose is to assist in shifting thought patterns that are not helpful and to provide hope and a new outlook to my clients.

As an individual who has always enjoyed learning and deeply values critical thinking, it is important to me that I read and stay up-to-date on research to provide competent, ethical care to my clients; it is extremely important to me that the treatments I provide are grounded in science and not just passing fads.

How I Work  

My clients are typically individuals looking to change their beliefs about themselves and others. Sometimes they may feel that they are “behind” or “different”, perhaps as a result of learning differently, not having achieved certain life “milestones” or due to experiencing a setback, such as a job loss, illness, or major traumatic event. With clients who have experienced a trauma, I focus on building a greater sense of safety, trust and self-esteem. With clients who are struggling to feel that they are where they should be in life, I focus on identifying internalized societal narratives, expectations, and negative core beliefs.

I am deliberate about asking questions in sessions that will open up deeper layers of conversation and provide opportunities to challenge one’s perspective, an intervention also known as socratic questioning.

I have an integrative style but am partial to evidence-based interventions; I tend to utilize elements of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) with most clients, in addition to psychodynamic work.

I specialize in working with PTSD, anxiety, depression, “late bloomers” and gifted pre-teens, teens and emerging adults (many of whom are often misdiagnosed).

I am duly licensed in both NY and FL. I am a member of SENG: Supporting Emotional Needs of the Gifted and the Florida Association for the Gifted.