Services
About My Clients
Have you experienced trauma or extremely challenging experiences that seem to have made it difficult to live a full and meaningful life? Do you have challenging feelings that just seem to pop up out of nowhere and take control? Do you find it difficult getting yourself out of "tape loops" in your brain that seem to go around and around without ever going anywhere? I have worked with hundreds of people over the years suffering from these kinds of issues, and know that there is a way out!
My Background and Approach
After getting my MA in social work from Hunter College in NYC, my native city, I moved to Asheville, NC in 2006. I’ve worked in many roles, including Clinical Director of a large, progressive residential center, where I developed a trauma healing program in close collaboration with Dr. Carl Anderson, a Harvard neuroscientist. Now in private practice, many clients are working through the effects of trauma, but I have worked with people struggling with almost every imaginable challenge. I have a holistic, integrative approach. I combine warmth, compassion and curiosity with cutting edge knowledge from many different disciplines, including neuroscience and nutrition science. I also have a long-term interest in meditation, having participated in many months of silent retreats, and while that’s not for everyone, that experience has convinced me that the human mind and brain are far more flexible and open for positive change than we often allow ourselves to believe.
My Personal Beliefs and Interests
Everyone on the planet has their own story of suffering. Mine has given me a strong belief in the capacity we all have for positive change. When I was young, my brother was murdered, and needless to say that deeply impacted me for many years. It affected almost every aspect of my life. I went through periods of depression, intense anxiety, poor sleep, substance abuse and more. What finally turned it around for me was a combination of therapy and intensive meditation practices, including many long-term silent retreats. Seeing that significant positive change is possible led me to change careers so that I could be a part of other people's healing process. Along the way I have been comforted by the fact that modern neuroscience is offering solid support to the idea that this kind of change is possible. It should go without saying that I do not discriminate, and actively support social justice movements and actions of all kinds. I am more than happy to work with anyone.