About Me

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker with more than 25 years experience providing therapy exclusively to children, adolescents and young adults.  I have a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology from Wesleyan University and a Master of Science in Social Work from Columbia University.

I am a firm believer in the importance of building a safe, trusting and collaborative relationship with everyone I work with.  Kids can be resilient, flexible and open to change.  However, it is essential for them to want to participate in therapy if I am to succeed in helping them to change.  My goal at the first visit is to spark curiosity, make a connection and to send the message that I can help.  It is in this context that a healthy therapeutic relationship begins to develop.  When children are interacting with me through play or structured activities and enjoying the learning process, and adolescents/young adults are starting to talk about difficult topics, then they are on their way to making meaningful changes.  Equally important is for parents to understand what they can do to help their kids.  If we all work together, therapy can be effective.

I was trained at Columbia to assess using an eco-systemic perspective and my theoretical orientation is eclectic.  I use a variety of interventions to best meet a person's needs.  These include, but are not limited to:  cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), exposure and response prevention (E/RP), habit reversal, solution-focused therapy, play therapy (both directive and non-directive), sandtray therapy and behavior modification strategies.  Sessions are goal oriented and may sometimes involve "homework."

I am a Howard County resident and live with my husband and my two amazing kids.