I am a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker (LICSW) who works with children, adolescents, and adults. I have worked in a variety of clinical settings, including residential and inpatient programs, a high school guidance department, a college counseling center, community mental health, and private practice. In addition to my private practice, I work as a mental health clinician within a pediatric practice, where I collaborate with pediatricians, families, schools, and other providers to support children and adolescents with a range of emotional, behavioral, and developmental concerns.

A significant part of my practice is working with children and their families. Children do not always communicate what they are experiencing through words, so therapy with kids often looks different from therapy with adults. Depending on a child's age and needs, sessions may incorporate play, games, creative activities, conversation, and more structured skill building. I work with children experiencing anxiety, difficulties with emotional regulation, school-related challenges, ADHD and executive functioning concerns, family transitions, peer difficulties, and other issues that can arise as children grow and develop.

Working with parents is often an important part of treatment. I meet with parents separately for parent consultation and coaching. These meetings can help us better understand what may be driving a child's behavior, identify patterns that have developed within the family, and find practical ways for parents to respond differently at home. I also collaborate with schools, pediatricians, psychiatrists, and other professionals when doing so can help a child.

My approach is integrative rather than based on a single type of therapy. Psychodynamic theory remains an important foundation of my work and helps me think about relationships, development, patterns of behavior, and the meaning underneath symptoms. I also draw from Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), mindfulness, behavioral and parent coaching approaches, and other evidence-based interventions depending on the needs of the person or family I am working with.

Across these different approaches, I believe that the therapeutic relationship is central to meaningful change. With children in particular, I want therapy to be a place where they can feel comfortable being themselves, rather than simply another place where an adult is telling them what they need to do differently. From that foundation, we can work together to better understand what is getting in the way and help children and families develop new ways of managing difficult feelings, relationships, and situations.