Who I Work With

I specialize in working with people who have been through trauma and complicated experiences, at one or multiple points in their lives. Sometimes these experiences are recent, and other times these events may have occurred years in the past. These traumatic life events include, but are not limited to, physical, sexual, and emotional abuse and neglect, frightening experiences (experiencing or witnessing accidents or a death, distressing medical events, receiving upsetting news, and more). These experiences are often hard to talk about, and at the same time, they are deeply impactful on how people feel and relate to others. These painful experiences are associated with patterns that feel hard to change, and emotions that can feel hard to manage. Emotions can feel very intense and out of control, or there can be a sense of being shut down, numb, and disconnected. Relationship challenges, lashing out, and sleep difficulties are common. For some people it can be hard to stop thinking about these experiences, and others find that they never want to think about them.

I use evidence-based therapy strategies to help my clients gain new skills and insights that allow them to explore what happened to them, and interact with themselves and others in ways that they feel good about. I have specialized training in trauma-focused therapies including Cognitive Processing Therapy (CPT), Prolonged Exposure Therapy (PE), and Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing Therapy (EMDR), all therapies that help you rapidly and effectively process trauma.

Insomnia

I am also trained in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I) for those struggling specifically with sleep.

Chronic difficulties falling or staying asleep can leave people with low energy, a foggy mind, and a sense of dread each night around bedtime. People often feel helpless to resolve these sleep issues. I am trained to use CBT-I to help you learn strategies to rapidly improve your sleep. CBT-I is recommended as the first-line treatment for insomnia by the American College of Physicians, over and above medications and other behavioral interventions, and many who start this treatment notice improved sleep quality in 6-10 sessions. Please reach out if you are interested in science-based strategies for a good night’s sleep.

My Approach

My approach is warm, collaborative, and direct. Clients describe me as gentle and authentic. I work to create a space that feels “safe enough” for my clients to speak freely, even when the topics are painful. I infuse humor into the therapy process if and when appropriate and aligned with my clients’ preferences and style.

Therapy with me blends practical skills and strategies with exploration of thoughts, feelings, history, and treatment goals. I draw from approaches like DBT, ACT, CBT, and trauma-focused therapies (CPT, EMDR, PE) to support both insight and change in service of your goals. I like to finish our sessions by offering a skill to practice, a handout to read, or a reflection to consider until we next meet. We’ll work together to tailor therapy to your needs, pace, and preferences.

Background

I’m a licensed clinical psychologist in Connecticut. I earned my bachelors, masters, and PhD (Clinical Psychology) from Yale University and completed my predoctoral internship and postdoctoral training at the VA Connecticut Healthcare System, where I later worked as a staff psychologist and supervisor. My clinical and research expertise centers around trauma, and I’ve published several research papers and presented at national and international conferences related to this topic.