Education

I graduated Summa cum Laude with a B.A. in Psychology and English from the University of California, Los Angeles, and then moved to New York to pursue my graduate studies.  I first earned an M.S.Ed. in Counseling and Personnel Services, and then a Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Fordham University.  My dissertation developed practice guidelines for providing effective group therapy with racially and culturally diverse members.

I am specializing in psychoanalysis and am currently a psychoanalytic candidate at the NYU Postdoctoral Program in Psychotherapy and Psychoanalysis. 

Clinical Training & Experience

I began my clinical training at the Pace University Counseling Center, providing therapy to college students. During the course of my doctoral studies, I was also employed for 5 years as a career counselor at Kingsborough Community College.  As a result, I am experienced in working with young adults in the area of career exploration and development, as well as in addressing concerns related to identity development, romantic and family relationships, sexual orientation, performance anxiety and perfectionism, separating from one's family of origin, and adjusting to greater autonomy. 

At the Coler-Goldwater Specialty Hospital and Nursing Facility, I worked with low-income, older adults suffering from chronic and sometimes terminal medical conditions.  I am experienced in sensitively attuning to individuals with special physical needs (including providing care to visually impaired and wheelchair-bound individuals) and in helping individuals grapple with existential concerns related to coping with illness, aging, and death. 

At the St. Luke’s-Roosevelt Women’s Health Project, I worked with women with histories of trauma, including sexual, physical, and emotional abuse, who had turned to substances as a way to cope.  I helped women address concerns related to safety, trust, abandonment, and intimacy, and to learn to set healthy boundaries in relationships. 

I completed my doctoral internship at the Brooklyn Veterans Administration, where I specialized in health psychology, substance abuse, and geriatric rotations.  I worked with male and female veterans in addressing issues of posttraumatic stress disorder, combat trauma, grief and loss, marital concerns, and coping with injury and illness.    

After earning my Ph.D, I completed a 2-year postdoctoral fellowship at a psychoanalytic institute, the National Institute for the Psychotherapies.  I worked with high-functioning adults providing twice and three-times weekly individual therapy informed by relational psychoanalytic and psychodynamic approaches. I subsequently completed the One-Year Introductory Program in Relational Studies at the Stephen Mitchell Center, prior to beginning postdoctoral psychoanalytic training at NYU.