“I find that aspects of my training as an artist are helpful in working with clients in a creative and practical manner.”
What was your path to becoming a therapist?
This is my second career; previously, I spent 15 years in the performing arts in New York City. I find that aspects of my training as an artist are helpful in working with clients in a creative and practical manner. I have a deep curiosity for the stories of others and find working with clients very meaningful. I have worked in college counseling centers, abstinence only and harm reduction substance abuse clinics, and private practice. These experiences have shaped how I work with clients who have intersectionality between substance misuse and minority status. I specialize in working with gay men who use crystal methamphetamine and the interplay between sexuality and substance use. I have postgraduate psychoanalytic training from the Center for Modern Psychoanalytic Studies as well as years of harm reduction substance misuse training from the Addiction Institute at Mount Sinai West. At Mount Sinai, I was a staff therapist for various programs, including the Crystal Clear program.
What should someone know about working with you?
I tend to work from a psychodynamic standpoint initially as I like to provide the space for clients to tell their story first. If someone is actively using substances and would like to reduce or eliminate use, I tend to be more solution-focused initially, relying on CBT and DBT techniques until the client feels that they have attained a level of management around their use. I tend to be both practical and flexible in my approach so that I can best meet the client where they are.
What do you do to continue learning and building competencies as a provider?
I continue to read and explore various aspects of the counseling field. I find that peer supervision as well as the supervision of graduate students continues to deepen my practice and often brings to light any blind spots I may have in my treatment approach.
“I specialize in working with gay men who use crystal methamphetamine and the interplay between sexuality and substance use.”