“Working with diverse and difficult clients, such as recovering addicts and the recently incarcerated, has prepared me to handle just about any situation.”
What was your path to becoming a therapist?
I got into psychology in undergrad where I realized that many of the skills and analyses I had instinctively used for years had deeper roots. I grew up in the melting pot of New York City and lived all over the United States, gaining vast amounts of experience and cultural awareness. I have worked in many settings, such as community mental health centers, schools, and private practices. Working with diverse and difficult clients, such as recovering addicts and the recently incarcerated, has prepared me to handle just about any situation.
What should someone know about working with you?
My intake incorporates getting to know the client's various aspects of life in a comfortable and semi-structured interview format. If appropriate, we’ll develop goals for therapy based on the individual's challenges at intake and throughout sessions. I may assign homework when necessary but that should not be expected as the norm in all cases. I prefer to work with clients aged 10 and older regardless of their personal challenges. I encourage the parents of clients who are minors to engage in the therapeutic process to best serve the client in his/her/their growth.
How do your own core values shape your approach to therapy?
I understand that I am in a field that is not as culturally diverse as it claims and I have grown up with the understanding that not all people are treated equally or given the opportunity to have difficult conversations with the intent of understanding. For that and many other reasons, I allow clients to challenge me and themselves in therapy to gain better, safer experiences of themselves and others.
What are you most excited about within the evolving mental health landscape?
Telehealth has been a wonder for therapy as a whole. Clients who lived too far to comfortably seek services now have access to more and better therapists from the comfort of their homes or office spaces. While no advancement is without fault, improving access to mental health is greatly beneficial. Any updated research challenging old misperceptions and evolving psychology as a whole appeal to me, as I am always excited to learn.
“I allow clients to challenge me and themselves in therapy to gain better, safer experiences of themselves and others.”