About Me
BACKGROUND AND TRAINING
My interest in how others think and feel began early. When I was 7 years old, my father and I read books on dream analysis and human emotions. I enjoy talking to people about how they think and feel. To gain formal training, I majored in psychology at University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and then obtained my doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Emory University. Over the past 15 years, it has been amazing to work with so many people who want or need to make changes in their lives. Specifically, I completed my internship at the Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center (VAMC) working with military Veterans experiencing a range of psychological distress, and then my post-doctoral fellowship through Emory University at Grady Hospital providing long- and short-term therapy to individuals seeking low cost services.
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Since training, I've worked extensively with military Veterans (in the VAMC) and civilians through private practice who have experienced trauma/have post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD; e.g., sexual, combat, natural disaster); individuals adjusting to life after medical illnesses such as seizures, strokes, or cancer treatments; depression and anxiety; and those going through life transitions such as grieving a loss, dealing with a break-up, having children/adoption/parenting, or retiring. See my areas of expertise under Services
THEORETICAL ORIENTATION AND APPROACH
As a therapist, I'm active and partner with you on your journey to feel better. I ask questions, reflect on what I hear, and help you process through issues. To do that effectively, I'm integrative in my theoretical approach to therapy, meaning I can draw from a variety of strategies that are helpful. I am most strongly influenced by Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, which emphasizes changing negative and unhelpful thoughts to more realistic and neutral or positive thoughts, leading to better mood and healthier behavior. Improving how we talk to ourselves and think about situations can have huge benefits in our lives and help us feel much better. At the same time, I emphasize processing feelings and past experiences as an important part of therapy. Therapy is a flexible process tailored to your needs.
People come to see me with different expectations and needs for therapy. A person might come to therapy ready to work on processing a trauma and we choose a structured treatment with steps and goals. Or a person might come in who just lost their loved one and wants to talk about their feelings and how their life has changed. We work collaboratively in a safe, supportive, and nonjudgmental environment. You know yourself, your history, and your experiences, and I can help you work through issues and feel better.
THERAPY INTERVENTIONS
I use evidence-based treatments – those are treatments known to be effective – if these treatments would be helpful to you. I'm trained and certified in:
Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT) for depression, anxiety, and sleep issues
Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT) for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
Prolonged Exposure (PE) for PTSD
and use elements of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR)
and Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)
