About
I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker (LCSW) with over 13 years of experience in the mental health field and a slightly indirect journey to get there. After graduating from Virginia Tech with degrees in Psychology and Sociology, I worked as a job coach and special education teacher in Northern Virginia. Knowing I always wanted to be in the mental health field, I obtained my Masters of Social Work from Virginia Commonwealth University.
I have worked with individuals across the lifespan and have been part of a multi-disciplinary team assessing and supporting adults in the community mental health setting.
More recently, I served as the clinical director of a group private practice where I had been providing outpatient therapy for 7.5 years. Ultimately, I stepped down from this position to find my own work/life balance.
My journey
After attending Postpartum Support International’s two day training on Perinatal Mood and Anxiety Disorders (PMADs), I was astonished (and appalled) at how little I knew about the effects of the perinatal period on mental health! After all, if a mother of two who is also a trained therapist doesn't know some of this information, what does that mean for mothers in general?
Since then, it has been a passion to work with expecting or new parents and their families to navigate all of the changes that come with pregnancy and thereafter.
I have experience working with clients navigating perinatal loss (stillbirth and miscarriage), unexpected NICU stays, birth trauma, perinatal obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), perinatal depression and anxiety.
Additionally, I find it equally fulfilling to collaborate with other mental health professionals through consultation on PMADS as well as provide clinical supervision to new therapists who are interested in working in this specialization.
My journey as a certified perinatal mental health (PMH-C) provider started not long after the birth of my second child.
My approach to therapy
My approach to therapy is highly collaborative, process-based, and non-judgemental. It is rooted in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), which supports clients in being present, even when it’s uncomfortable, and doing what matters.
We typically work on building mindfulness skills and ways to “unhook” from unhelpful thoughts while also exploring values and identifying choices/actions that align with these values. In some of the initial sessions, we will work on building mindfulness to tailor our work to your specific needs and treatment goals, I also may incorporate Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT), Exposure Response Prevention (ERP), Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT).
I value the diversity and unique experience of each client and would love the opportunity to see if we could be a good fit! The therapeutic relationship is one unlike any other; therefore I strive to create a safe space through modeling therapeutic boundaries, building trust, and a stance of openness and curiosity to understand your experience
I live in Raleigh, NC with my husband, two elementary-school aged children, and our black lab puppy Lucy Pupperton.
When I’m not working, you will likely find me tending to my cut-flower garden, flower arranging, running, traveling, and finding other ways to live into my values of creativity and contribution.
