my story
“The way to heal from your trauma is not to deny or suppress it, but to embrace it as part of your story and transform it into strength and resilience.”
I grew up in New York City, which will always be home, but was pulled to Los Angeles almost twenty years ago. While I will forever be a city girl at heart, I absolutely love the lifestyle that California provides for me and my family. I received my Master’s Degree in Social Work from New York University in 1998 and earned my Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Ryokan College in 2006. I am certified in Rapid Resolution Therapy (RRT), the Trauma Resiliency Model (TRM) and Trauma Informed Hypnotherapy (THI).
While at NYU I trained at The Payne Whitney Clinic at New York Presbyterian Hospital and Beth Israel Hospital in the Pediatric AIDS Department. After moving to LA, I worked as a medical social worker at AIDS Healthcare Foundation, then later at Cedars Sinai Medical Center in the Home Hospice program. I have maintained a private practice since 2003. After taking some time to transition to new motherhood and raise my two sons, I returned to work as a primary therapist and clinical supervisor at Soba Recovery Center in Malibu.
Extensive clinical training, education and practical life experience have shown me that therapy can be transformational. Utilizing an integrative approach, I work with my clients to teach them to regulate their nervous systems, learn to use new effective coping strategies, access their inner wisdom, integrate unconscious and conscious mind, and improve their overall physical, spiritual, and mental health and wellness.
Ever since I can remember, I have been relentlessly curious about people, relationships, and how the mind works.My own experiences with grief, loss, trauma, and transitioning into motherhood have both shaped my personal life as well as informed my professional life. It is my fundamental belief that for deep healing to occur, we have to appeal to both the logical and emotional aspects of the mind. To best achieve this, I take a holistic view of healing that integrates the Relationship, Neuroscience, Mindfulness, Clinical Hypnosis, Guided Imagery, and Somatic Experiencing.
