About Me

TRAINING

I am a nationally certified, licensed professional counselor. I earned my BA in Psychology, and MA in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from Fairfield University. I have completed Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) training for anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorders at the Beck Institute and I am a graduate of the Gestalt Organization and Systems Development Program. I am committed to lifelong learning and I attend multiple workshops each year. I have obtained continuing education credits in subjects as diverse as Domestic Violence & Sexual Assault, Working with Emotional Triggers, Somatic Experiencing for Trauma, Meditation & Mindfulness, Self-Regulation, Multicultural Counseling and Polyvagal Theory in Action to name a few.

Clinical Experience

I started my clinical journey at a behavioral health center providing therapeutic support to underserved adults, children and families struggling with variety of mental health concerns including anxiety, depression, ADHD, OCD, PTSD and Bipolar Disorder. I love my work and have continued to practice locally helping adolescents and adults to navigate relationship and career issues, manage anxiety and stress, process trauma and grief, build identity capital, regulate emotions and restore balance in their environment. I am creative and flexible, drawing from Gestalt, CBT,  Body Centered and Positive Psychology approaches to provide highly individualistic counseling, uniquely tailored to each client. One of my passions is serving as a clinical supervisor to students completing their counseling degrees. 

Background

My unique life experiences also propelled me into this profession. Growing up in a pub in London taught me to listen reflectively, to set clear boundaries and to bracket my feelings. Living in Italy for a year without speaking Italian, I learned to read body language and interpret non-verbal behavior. Working in finance as a working class female, I learned about structural biases and how difficult it is to break down preconceived ideas about gender and class. Moving to America taught me about the complexities of cultural expectations and that even in countries that speak the same language, people can have completely different values. Bringing up four children taught me patience, flexibility, creativity, critical thinking and how to be organized. I learned the value of warm, loving experiences, that the family is a unique ecosystem and the need for self-love and self-care. My marriage of over three decades taught me the importance of vulnerability, strength, perseverance and most of all, a sense of humor!

Affiliations

Being affiliated with these organizations allows me to stay up to date on research in our field:

• International OCD Foundation

• American Counseling Association

• Connecticut Counseling Association

• Chi Sigma Iota International and Professional Academic Honor Society 

• Psi Chi National Psychology Honor Society