About me

I believe that meaningful change begins with understanding ourselves—our emotions, our relationships, and the experiences that have shaped us.

For more than 20 years, I have helped children, adolescents, adults, and families navigate anxiety, relationships, life transitions, and difficult experiences. My approach is warm, curious, and grounded in the belief that even the patterns that cause us difficulty often developed for good reasons.

I draw from Internal Family Systems (IFS), EMDR, attachment theory, and child development to help clients develop a deeper understanding of themselves and create meaningful change.

My Approach

I don't believe that therapy is about simply getting rid of difficult feelings or changing the parts of ourselves we don't like. Instead, I help clients become curious about what is happening beneath the surface.

Sometimes anxiety, perfectionism, self-criticism, avoidance, or relationship patterns are ways that different parts of us have learned to protect us. Understanding those patterns with greater compassion can create new possibilities for how we respond to ourselves and others.

My work is collaborative and individualized. I adapt my approach to each person's needs, developmental stage, experiences, and goals.

Working With Adults

My background in child development and attachment has deeply influenced my work with adults. Understanding how early experiences shape our relationships and our sense of ourselves can offer important insight into patterns that continue into adulthood.

I work with adults who may be experiencing anxiety, relationship difficulties, life transitions, self-criticism, trauma, parenting challenges, or a sense of feeling stuck. I often incorporate IFS and EMDR when appropriate, while remaining attentive to each person's individual needs and goals.

Working With Adolescents & Children

I have a particular interest in helping children and adolescents develop a stronger understanding of their emotions and themselves.

My early career at the Virginia Frank Child Development Center in Chicago, an outpatient family service center and therapeutic nursery, gave me a strong foundation in child development, attachment, and working with families experiencing significant challenges.

Since moving to the DC area in 2011, I have continued to work in private practice with children, adolescents, adults, and families.

I also work with parents, both when their child is a client and when parents simply want their own ongoing support and guidance around parenting.

Experience & Education

After graduating with a BA from Wesleyan University, I earned a MSW from Loyola University Chicago, and an MS in Child Development from the Erikson Institute. I began my career in Chicago, where I provided intensive therapeutic services to young children and families and developed a deep appreciation for the ways early relationships influence development.

Over the course of my career, I have continued to expand my training and clinical perspective, including training in Internal Family Systems and EMDR.

Becoming a parent myself has also deepened my understanding of the complexity of family life and the many competing emotions that can arise in parenting.

A Little More About Me

I feel privileged to do work that allows me to meet people at important moments in their lives. Whether I'm working with an adult who is trying to understand longstanding patterns, a teenager navigating a difficult transition, a child experiencing anxiety, or a parent looking for a different way to respond, I try to create a space where people feel understood, respected, and able to be themselves.

My goal is for therapy to be a place where curiosity replaces judgment, where difficult experiences can be understood rather than simply managed, and where clients can develop greater freedom in how they move through their lives and relationships.