My Approach to Helping
I provide individual therapy for late adolescents and adults in the Washington, DC area. I have a particular passion for working with university students and young adults who are figuring out and navigating their next "chapter" of life. I aim to help individuals capitalize on their strengths and work with their limitations, change their responses to interpersonal problems, and help them form new and improved healthy relationships and ways of relating to their world that does not repeat previously unhealthy patterns. By bringing support, encouragement, humor, and a nonjudgmental perspective to our work together, I meet clients where they are, whether they have been to therapy before or are exploring therapy for the first time. Knowing how important the therapy relationship is, my primary goal is to make my clients feel heard, understood, and hopeful. I adapt my approach and style, as needed, to work with my clients' unique needs. I am always happy to jump on the phone for a brief consultation to determine if we may be a good fit to work together.
More Info About My Practice
I am currently seeking new clients. I am an out of network therapist, but I will help you submit the necessary paperwork to your insurance company for reimbursement and do my best to help you maximize your behavioral health benefits. I see clients in a Palisades location in DC with ample parking as well as virtually, if telehealth is a better fit your schedule and needs.
I am happy to consult with you over the phone to get a sense of your therapy needs, to assess if I am the best person to meet your needs and to answer any questions you may have about my work, my practice, and the therapy process.
Specific Issue(s) I'm Skilled at Helping With
In addition to my extensive work at university counseling centers, I have experience working within the VA system and in private practice. I have particular interest in and expertise working with individuals with eating disorders and body image concerns. In my continuing role as coordinator of eating disorder services at the University of Maryland Counseling Center, I see individual clients, work collaboratively on interdisciplinary teams to coordinate the care of my clients, consult with students and their families about appropriate levels of care, and co-lead eating disorder groups. I also have unique experience working with those balancing multiple life roles and stressors, struggling in relationships, exploring and developing their various salient identities, and individuals with anxiety and depression. I use an integrative approach and a culturally sensitive lens to meet each individual's unique needs. I pull from interpersonal, psychodynamic, emotionally-focused, and cognitive-behavioral techniques in my therapeutic work.
What I Love about Being a Psychotherapist
I absolutely love my job. I am lucky enough to have found a career that brings me joy, excitement, fulfillment, and challenge. Because I value various other roles in my life, including being a mother, a partner, a daughter, friend, colleague, athlete, and community member, when I am working with my clients, I put myself fully in the room to get as close to their experiences as I can. It is important to me that I use my life experiences and professional knowledge to be real with my clients and never forget how hard but how beautiful life can be for all of us. I have the utmost respect for the vulnerability my clients show me day in and day out and strive to reward that with whatever therapeutic tools and resources I can offer.
What I Say to People Concerned about the Therapy Process
Going to therapy and meeting a new therapist can be daunting, whether it is your first time in therapy at all or your first time meeting with me specifically. I understand that feeling and spend the first portion of our work building our relationship, getting to know you, and providing you with a sense of who I am as a therapist. Most of the time, you have been hurting or struggling in some way before you reach out to me and I understand the drive to feel better and quickly. Therapy is a process and requires patience and an investment of your time and money. My job is support you through this journey and to create an environment in which we can consistently evaluate how things are going.
