I’m not the ‘robot’ therapist that is going to sit there and repeatedly nod my head and ask you ‘how do you feel about that?’ Let’s be honest, I probably WILL ask you that (at least once) but our sessions are going to be engaging, focused on your goals, and collaborative.

I value being real, and it wouldn’t be real to pretend that I’m a perfect expert on all things mental health and yoga, or that I don’t have struggles or things to work on, too. I just happen to have specialized training that helps me be able to explain to you how your body and mind work so that I can help you become the better version of you that you deserve to be.

Let’s be real together so that you can grow into the person you want to be.

About Me - The Therapist

I work with children and teens, and their parents, who are struggling with anxiety including generalized anxiety, social anxiety, and OCD; ADHD-related challenges; big life transitions; and just navigating this wild world we are living in!

I LOVE to work closely with parents and (collaborating) co-parents to provide them the support they deserve and help them learn skills to manage their children’s behaviors and build upon their strengths. I have specialized training in SPACE Treatment for anxious children - which is a parent-focused treatment - ask me more about how this can help your family!

Depending on your goals, we may use play, expressive arts, cognitive behavioral therapy, acceptance and commitment therapy, exposure and response prevention, and/or walk and talk therapy. We might even add in some yoga and/or mindfulness if you’re up for it. The best part of therapy with me? I always have Franklin, the therapy dog, with me at my office!

About Me - The Person

I am a wife, daughter, small business owner, fur mom, plant mom, and stepmom (not the evil Disney Princess kind) - to a teenager.

I like to stay busy - but I can also be found slowing down and doing something restful like yoga or running/walking/hiking- although, that took me a LONG time to learn how to turn down the volume in my brain.

If you want to get me a little distracted in session, ask me about:

• The foster animals I have (right now it’s 8 kittens)

• Music - I have ALWAYS loved a good playlist - even when I had to sit next to my boombox and record songs on cassette tapes off the radio

• the Enneagram

• What book I recently started even though I didn’t finish the one I was already reading

• What games we’re playing at home (right now it’s Animal Crossing, Exploding Kittens, and Unstable Unicorns)

• My 4 fur babies - yes, Franklin is my pet.

But, beware! I have gotten pretty good at catching myself when I get off track - so we WILL (eventually) get back to talking about your feels and your goals - that’s the reason we are meeting together, after all!

My Background

• I am a clinical social worker by training - this means that my training focuses on how a person responds to their environment and focuses on strengths to build upon rather than flaws or defects to fix

  • 2010, Bachelor of Arts in Social Work; Salisbury University

  • 2011, Master of Clinical Social Work; Specialization - Families and Children; University of Maryland, Baltimore

• Post-Graduate Training

  • Child-Centered Play Therapy

  • Play Therapy and CBT

  • SPACE Treatment (Supporting Parents of Anxiety Childhood Emotions)

  • ERP (Exposure and Response Prevention)

• Yoga & Mindfulness Certifications

  • 200 Hour Yoga Instructor Certification - red lila yoga - 2016

  • 95-hour Advanced Children’s Yoga Instruction - Kidding Around Yoga - 2018

  • 300 Hour Advanced Yoga Instructor Certification - in progress - Ignite Yoga

PS - Yes, I teach yoga. It doesn’t mean we HAVE to do yoga - but it is pretty awesome.

As a yoga instructor and yoga teacher trainer, I bring the same passion and empathy into the room as I do when I am in the counseling role. My studio yoga classes are consciously planned to help my students connect to their own energy, build a powerful presence into the moment and then settle themselves down into a nice long, meditative resting state at the end of class.

One-on-one, we can work together to build a yoga program that works for you. If power is what you are looking for, we can work on yoga skills that build that - if it’s comfort and ease, we can build a yoga program that allows you to access those places of calm and comfort.