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My Background

Born in Philadelphia, and having lived most of my adult life in the surrounding area, I feel fortunate to have received my education at Drexel, Villanova and Temple Universities. Life’s journey led me to Clarksville, Tennessee, which is 50 miles north of Nashville, for the last eleven years. I have returned “home” in September, 2010 and am happy to be here. I hold licenses in Pennsylvania and Tennessee.

My work experiences encompass a very broad range. I believed it was important to gain exposure not only to varied disorders but also to understand the particulars that change over the life span. Working with children through geriatrics, couples and families provided me that opportunity. I completed my master’s pracicticum at Belmont Center’s Woodside Hall, which serves substance-abusing adults. Also in this area, I co-facilitated multi-family groups at Rehab-after-Work and did family therapy with substance-abusing adolescents at HIPID. Norristown State Hospital’s work with severely character-disordered women, schizophrenic and geriatric patients satisfied my pre-doctoral internship training.

Post-doctorally, I became a staff member at Belmont Center’s Outpatient Clinic. There I supervised psychology interns and psychiatric residents, as well as facilitating group therapy and treating individuals with a wide array of disorders. I found my niche in doing individual therapy with adults, and have maintained a private practice for 17 years. My interests lie in, but are not limited to, treating depression, relationship issues, grief, loss and chronic illness. I am also OK with, “I don’t know what’s wrong…I just want to feel better”. I enjoy doing focused group therapy and have just completed running a 6-week group based on “The Shift”, by Dr. Wayne Dyer. I also enjoy dream work. I have given 3-hour workshops on dream interpretation in the past and look forward to scheduling one soon!

My home and practice in Tennessee were very close to Fort Campbell Army Base. With the Iraq/Afghanistan wars since 2001 came a dire need for clinicians. The frequent deployments of soldiers left their spouses and children in heightened states of depression and anxiety, as well as difficulties adjusting to the “post-war” issues that the soldiers brought home with them. Most of my time was spent helping this population, including medically discharged G.I.s with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder and/or Traumatic Brain Injury.

My philosophy is grounded in psychodynamic and cognitively based theories. Using the former, you and I will explore your early life in your family of origin. We will put the pieces together to reveal how what you experienced then affects your life in the present! Using the latter, we will investigate how your thought patterns support (maladaptively) your early life experiences. Although my therapy is primarily done with individuals, I take a systems approach in conceptualizing what is troubling you. This means that I view you in the contexts of your family of origin, family of choice, workplace and other significant relationships you have.

I am trained in EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) and have used this modality thousands of times over the past 15 years. EMDR is the most widely used treatment worldwide for trauma. This modality challenges “irrational beliefs” such as “I am not good enough”, “I should have done better” or “I am weak” to name a few. These core beliefs negatively affect a person’s self-concept and limit the ability for happiness. EMDR turns the negative thought into a positive affirmation. For additional information: emdr.com

Using these tools, we then can embark together on your path for change . I look forward to meeting you!

EDUCATION

TEACHING EXPERIENCE

• Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, Adjunct Professor, Graduate School
• Austen Peay State University, Clarksville, TN, Adjunct Professor, Undergraduate