I believe good therapy begins with curiosity.
I'm interested not only what brings someone to therapy, but in how they came to be who they are: the experiences that shaped them, the ways they learned to protect themselves, and the parts of themselves they have may learned to keep at a distance.
My work is grounded in the belief that even the patterns we most want to change usually developed for a reason. Therapy offers a place to understand those patterns with greater compassion and, over time, to create more room for choice.

There is often wisdom in the parts of ourselves we have worked hardest to quiet.
I have always been interested in the question of how we come to know ourselves. We develop identities through experience, relationships, culture, expectation, and the stories we have learned to tell about who we are. Sometimes these stories fit for a long time. Sometimes they begin to feel too small.
I'm drawn to those moments of uncertainty and contradiction: when different parts of us want different things, when an old way of understanding ourselves no longer makes sense, or when the life that looks right from the outside doesn't feel quite right from within.
After many years as a psychologist, I still find something remarkable in what can happen when we become curious about these experiences rather than immediately trying to resolve them. Often, complexity is not something to eliminate. It's where the interesting work begins.
PhD in Clinical Psychology, University of Rochester
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Adolescent Medicine, University of Rochester Medical Center
Internal Family Systems (IFS), Level 1 Training
Polyvagal Theory, Advanced Training with Deb Dana
Licensed Psychologist, New York State
Independent Practice, 2009-Present
Assistant Professor (voluntary), University of Rochester
Adjunct Professor, SUNY Empire State University
A website can tell you something about how I think and work, but it can't tell you whether we'll feel like a good fit. If you're considering therapy and would like to explore working together, you're welcome to get in touch.