Approach

I work collaboratively with individuals, couples and families to better understand the meanings behind their symptoms, problematic relational dynamics and behaviors. My general focus is on helping clients better understand their feelings, thoughts and motivations as a pathway to leading more conscious, meaningful and authoritative lives. Because the therapeutic process can be anxiety-provoking and often requires a certain degree of vulnerability, my primary interest in the initial phase of therapy is to develop safe and trusting working relationships with clients. Once this relationship is formed, I aim to engage an open, collaborative approach that allows for a shared exploration of material relevant to symptoms of anxiety, depression and interpersonal struggles.

Areas of Interest

I have specialized training in treating personality disorders, addiction and other compulsive behaviors as well as trauma and related dissociation. I often see clients - both adolescents and adults - who suffer from anxiety and/or depression. I have a particular interest in working with professionals who have outwardly experienced success and recognition, but who have had difficulty mastering their inner experiences. I also have special interest in working with young adults who have struggled to reach their (and their families') desired stage of financial and emotional independence.

Experience

My earliest training was through The Council on Recovery Houston’s adult addictions Intensive Outpatient Program, Healing Choices, as part of its Center for Recovering Families. I later completed a Post-Graduate Fellowship on the Professionals in Crisis Unit at The Menninger Clinic, where I provided individual, family and group psychotherapy to professional individuals suffering from a variety of psychiatric symptoms. While continuing to serve as a contract provider at The Menninger Clinic, I began work at The Lovett Center, where I participated as a group and individual therapist in their dual-diagnosis and mental health Intensive Outpatient Program. I began my private practice in 2015.

Education

I am a University of Texas at Austin graduate and received my Masters degree in Clinical Social Work from The University of Houston Graduate College of Social Work. I completed a 2-year Fellowship in Psychodynamic Psychotherapy through Houston’s Center for Psychoanalytic Studies where I received additional training in psychoanalytically-informed psychotherapy. I now serve on the Center's Faculty. I have been certified by the American Group Psychotherapy Association to be a Certified Group Psychotherapist (CGP), which means I have specialized training experience in groups and am required to reserve a certain number of continuing education hours per year for training in group psychotherapy. I am also a member of the Houston Group Psychotherapy Society. More recently, I have been privileged to receive education in MDMA-Assisted Psychotherapy through MAPS PBC (The Multidisciplinary Association for Psychedelic Studies Public Benefit Corporation), as well as in Ketamine Assisted Psychotherapy through the Ketamine Training Center with experts Phil Wolfson, MD, and Bessel van der Kolk, MD. I now provide KAP in partnership with my colleague, Kriste Babbitt, MD, which research shows generates a notable neuroplastic response, allowing therapeutic work to integrate at deeper levels.

*MDMA has only been approved as a therapeutic by the FDA for research purposes at this time. Should MDMA become legal for therapeutic use, I will update this website to indicate its availability to clients who meet agency-cleared criteria.