My treatment philosophy tends to be flexible based on what is needed by the patient in my office. I mostly utilize Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) in my everyday practice. CBT is a fancy term that can be easily explained - Thoughts + Feelings = Behavior. The way we think about a particular event will inevitably lead to an action, whether positive or negative. If there are certain events in your life that lead to negative thoughts, then we can try to work on ways to change the thoughts surrounding that event to occur in a more positive way.
In general, I work with patients who are 18 and older who are experiencing symptoms of mood disorders, post-traumatic stress disorders, and substance use disorders. I have also gained additional training for working with LGBTQ+ patients.
Therapy looks very different depending on the patient in my office or depending on the location of the therapy session, whether in person or through telehealth. I want the atmosphere in either place to be calm and relaxed so that people feel comfortable sharing with me. I realize that people are going to share things with me that they have never shared with anyone else and I feel like I’m responsible for creating a space so that people can do that freely without fear of being judged.
If you catch a glance at my senior yearbook, I was going to school to be a Marine Biologist. Whoops! After taking a personality test and receiving very similar scores to the Psychologist who administered the test, I became curious about psychology and started asking questions. I didn’t decide to switch my major until I took my first undergraduate psychology class (not so coincidentally with the Psychologist who administered the test in freshman seminar). Looking back, I’ve always been the person friends come to for advice or just to vent. I was a “counselor” long before I went to school to become a counselor.
My husband and I spend a lot of time with our children, Julian (5) and Aurelia (3). We also spend time with our dog, Bellamy (named after the greatest rock musician of all time, Matt Bellamy of Muse). I enjoy reading psychological thrillers and attending concerts (rock/metal) as often as possible. I am passionate about advocating for further research into chronic pain disorders (especially pain related to Complex Regional Pain Syndrome) and Alzheimer's disease.
My favorite movie is Nerve. The plot line - People take part in an online game of truth or dare and can sign up to be a "Watcher" or a "Player." Watchers suggest dares and sit watching in the background and contributing money for dares. Players receive increasing amounts of money based on how risky a dare is and based on how many dares they complete. The movie is fascinating to me because of how it relates to human behavior and how people interact with each other, especially how one might act online vs. in person. (Spoiler Alert: I'm a Watcher. Haha)
If I weren’t a counselor, I’d probably go back to my first career choice and be a Marine Biologist or Veterinarian. After visiting the Florida Keys and going to the Sea Turtle Hospital, I am passionate about the welfare of sea turtles so this seems a good choice.
