The success of psychotherapy is based on the therapeutic relationship between clinician and client. Social work is unique as it emphasizes you as a whole person and for me to “meet you where you are at.”  In the beginning of our work,  I will take time to understand who you are today. Physically, emotionally, mentally and spiritually we all grow and slip backward in our lives; this is normal.

In twenty-five years of practice, I know the key to being happy is to be good. Every person is suffering because they fail to understand how to be truly good to themselves and others. This is the opposite of secular culture that emphasizes feeling good over being good. No matter the trauma, loss or mental illness this is the case.

There are objective laws that guide our relationships with ourselves and others. Too many people today are stuck in the Victim, Perpetrator, Rescuer Triangle and thus don’t take responsibility for their happiness – or their suffering. We are far more complex and beautiful than these discreet roles into which people fall.

To become the beings G-d intended, we must use discernment instead of judgment in making decisions, thus we are more likely to do the right thing. Sometimes the right choice is a boundary, sometimes it is compassion.

From a neurological perspective our behavior is coded in neural networks: “What fires together wires together.” These hard-wired patterns keep dysfunctional behavior in place. Our goal is to understand and transform these patterns so you experience what you desire: hope, joy, confidence and clarity. I also am trained in Brainspotting; an evidence-based intervention that allows us to tap into the amygdala to make lasting change.

Brief CV

1994 Hampshire College, BA in Comparative Philosophy

1995 Fulbright Scholar in Japanese Philosophy

1998 Bryn Mawr College Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research

2003 Private practice psychotherapist (current)

2015 Certified Thanatologist through Association of Death Education Counseling