I received my Masters in Social Work in 1989 from New York University. I have experience working with adults and adolescents in school, psychiatric inpatient and outpatient settings. My clinical focus has been predominantly working with women with eating disorders and related issues of anxiety, depression, trauma, self esteem, identity and body image.
I trained in Family-Based Therapy (FBT) in 2003. FBT is based on the principle that families have inherent strength and wisdom to help their daughters to get well and stay well. This approach boasts significantly higher rates of recovery and relapse prevention. My approach involves creating an outpatient ‘team’ to support the client in recovery that can include any combination of professionals including a medical doctor, psychiatrist, nutritionist and school counselors.
I also trained in Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR) in 2011, I have incorporated this technique into my work with clients resulting in dramatic results. This approach is designed to release clients of the hold that old wounds/traumas have on their current functioning in a way that traditional ‘talk therapy’ often does not.
For the past few years I have training in a model called Internal Family Systems (IFS/Parts work). It is a beautiful, experiential, healing model that brings a deep understanding as well as healing to our internal systems. Just like in a family, we have parts within us that can fall into disharmony. Through this healing therapy we are able to heal old wounds (exhiles) so that the parts within us that came about to protect the wound can relax which allows us to be more in Self. In Self, we experience our true nature which is calm, courageous, creative and compassionate.