Therapeutic Style: I see therapy as student-directed and collaborative, such that I may be the specialist in mental health, but the student is the specialist in themselves. I see therapy as a place where emotional and interpersonal difficulties show up and can be addressed to improve an individual’s life. I work from a psychodynamic and interpersonal approach while integrating the behavioral principles of conditioning. Therapy with me looks like learning the ways we relate to others, our expectations of other people, how we interpret other peoples’ words and actions, and how we relate to ourselves. All these things are connected and form patterns over time, which, when understood, empower us. My goal is to help students identify, experience and communicate their emotions to themselves and others to experience the full spectrum of what life has to offer.
Professional Interests: I have worked in university counseling centers, community mental health centers, private practices and substance use treatment centers. My clinical interests are anxiety, depression, trauma (of all kinds), interpersonal communication and substance use. My research experience, which strengthens my clinical experience, is in psychopharmacology (how drugs, the mind and the body interact), substance use and neurophysiology (how nerves and body movement connect with mental health).
Group and Liaison Roles: I have experience in process groups and how groups of people interact to improve the lives of themselves and others. I am very interested in dream work and the group on that topic. Furthermore, as an outdoors person myself, the Adventure Based Counseling group is a fantastic space of familiarity both in hobby and profession.
Educational Background: I earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from Loyola University Maryland. I received a master’s degree in clinical psychology at Nova Southeastern University. I am on track to complete a doctorate in clinical psychology at Nova Southeastern University by the end of this academic year. I have received specialized training in psychodynamic psychology, substance use treatment and uses of culturally specific treatments for mental illness as they interact with western medication-based treatment.
Pronouns: He/Him/His