717-478-3565
Invest in your whole self.
GET TO KNOW ME
My Story
I am a seasoned professional with varied experiences in the field of social work. I connect easily and empathetically with people and am devoted to nurturing their resiliency. I am a compassionate listener and readily discourage personal assignment of blame. The choices we make are part of our journey and -- for better or worse -- they lead us to where we are and who we have become. So many feel unempowered, that life is happening to them. My work with individuals will help them strive for empowerment and understanding – encouraging them to map out a more successful course for life by practicing the invaluable skills of self compassion, self direction and self-discovery. I am collaborative by nature and will create a judgement-free space for you to engage in the challenging but important work of self discovery.
Besides my work as a therapist, I have been professionally engaged as an educator, program director, mediator and end-of-life counselor. These diverse formal and non-traditional settings have included hospitals, prisons, schools, and community clinics as well as an environmental center and farm. Over the last decade in my professional life, I have worked with individuals facing end-of-life decisions, supervised teams of educators, built curricula around life cycle, healthy living, grief, and other related topics. I have been involved as a group facilitator and frequently used my theatre training to help communities and individuals work collaboratively to solve problems. I received my Bachelors of Arts from Goucher College, where I studied theatre and peace studies and my Masters in Social Work from the University of Maryland, with a specialty in clinical aging and community development.
I love hearing personal stories and am honored when people share theirs with me. Our stories are important, they inform who we are and reflect from where we have come. Maya Angelou writes, “There is no greater agony than bearing an untold story inside you.” In hearing your stories, my desire is to encourage your telling them with insight, confidence and, hopefully, joy.
MY PRACTICE
Connection. Compassion. Collaboration.
MY APPROACH
Empathic, Compassionate, Non-Judgemental
I am a psychodynamic therapist, which means we will look to what is happening now (in the present) to better understand long-standing patterns in your life. It also means that our healing work therapy will influence healing in the other realms of your life as you gain confidence, insight and self-compassion.
I have spent my professional career learning about people, their motivations and fears; learning techniques that allow us to feel more connected to ourselves to live a life of meaning and joy. But in the final analysis, what is most fundamental for this to occur is “fit”. Every person is unique and the relationship and trust between therapist and client is critical for a successful outcome. I will never tell you what to do because you are the final authority on you. But I will serve as your mirror, asking questions and reflecting back your insights and experiences, helping you acquire the tools for self discovery.
I believe in a multi-pronged approach to health and healing: diet, physical activity,
work-life balance, meaningful relationships, joyful participation in the world. In my approach to therapy I draw from Systems Theory which teaches us that different pieces of our life -- even if they seem discrete -- are connected, and that we are profoundly affected by our relationships. Together we will consider questions of physical health and think about what complements to therapy will be of personal value to you.
WHO I WORK WITH
Teens, Adults and Couples Therapy
In our work together I will support you and help you develop or connect to your innate coping skills and unique gifts. We will explore past experiences to understand how they have affected and shaped you, with the ultimate goal of achieving compassionate self-care and self discovery. I have spent years working with individuals living with grief, loss and despair. We have all experienced these things in some way. What is your experience? Have you lost a family member or close friend? Are you struggling to accept something in yourself? Are you encountering challenges in your relationships with others? Are you adjusting to a new life role? Are you missing something? Are you holding on to something and don’t know how to let go?
MY SPECIALTIES
Grief, LGBTQ, Infertility, Postpartum, Religious conflict, "launching"
Depression and anxiety are often among the chief complaints of those experiencing challenging life moments. Those diagnoses can be normalizing, give context and validation, but I will work to help you see yourself as more than a diagnosis. We are all complex and unique beings, and no two of us are alike. I have found that I do my best work with those who are living in moments of loss.
GETTING STARTED
Fees and First Steps
I offer a free 15 minute consultation for us to meet and determine whether or not we are a "good fit".
Prior to our first session I will ask you to fill out intake forms so we can spend our first session together getting to know one another. When together I will ask you questions to better understand your psychological history and what is bringing you in now. We will collaboratively, though conversation and questions, determine your therapeutic goals and begin to create your treatment plan, which will inform our work together.
