About Me

I am a licensed clinical psychologist specializing in therapy for adults of all ages and older adolescents.  I have a private practice in Chevy Chase, Maryland, currently via HIPAA compliant video.  My experience includes over 20 years as a therapist, and over three decades working in both clinical and academic settings focused on health and mental health.  I have completed formal clinical training at the Massachusetts Mental Health Center/Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital/Harvard Medical School, at college counseling centers in Boston and Maryland, and at Roca, a community-based initiative for adolescents and young adults chosen as Massachusetts' first Pay for Success public-private partnership due to its proven long-term track record for effectiveness.  In Washington, I serve as Associate Director (Training) at the Institute of Contemporary Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis (ICP+P), where I have served on the board since 2015 including chairing the Continuing Education Committee for 4 years.

I am integrative and strengths-based in my approach to therapy.  I will recognize, see, elevate, and nurture your strengths.  I will also from day 1 work with you to nurture social support, which is a primary predictor of myriad good outcomes in mental health.  My work is grounded in contemporary relational theories of therapy, cultural humility, effective science, and clinical effectiveness.  (In psychotherapy research, the word "effectiveness" refers to sustained positive outcomes in real-world settings.  This is distinguished from "efficacy," also valuable, which refers to reported results of experimental studies).  My goal is to promote emotional and relational health and healing, social support networks, and agency and empowerment for my clients. 

Early formative experiences for me in this profession included co-starting a Spirituality group, to explore meaning in life experiences, in the Women's Treatment Program at McLean Hospital (a psychiatric teaching hospital near Boston affiliated with Harvard Medical School).  I worked for several years prior to graduate school as a counselor in this program, as well as in the Trauma Inpatient Unit at McLean, and in a new (at the time) unit for adolescent girls suffering from eating disorders.  The philosophy of the Women's Treatment Program was grounded in novel and cutting-edge relational-cultural theory of that time.  I also served as a teaching assistant to a University Chaplain at Harvard for a course on psychology and religion.  I enjoy working with people of *all* religious faiths (and am equally happy to work with people who identify as agnostic or athiest!) and am interested in how people connect with, grapple with, and find strength in their traditions and communities.  I am also especially interested in collaborating on oral histories, interviewing people about their life experiences so that they may share their wisdom with others and with future generations. I have a side interest in genealogy and better understanding multi-generational family experiences and how these experiences continue to influence our lives.

I greatly enjoy learning from my clients about the richness of their life experiences--being a therapist is a vocational calling for me.  It is an honor to hear and witness what my clients have to tell me, and I'm humbled by the opportunity to help shape new stories and narratives of understanding, connection, and healing. 


Education:

Ph.D. and M.A. in Clinical Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston

A.B., Harvard University, Cambridge, MA

Licensed Psychologist in Maryland, # 06361
Authority to Practice Interjurisdictional Telepsychology (PSYPACT)