Meet your therapist in Albany, NY

You’ve spent your whole life trying to live up to others’ expectations. In elementary school you hid your inattentive and daydreamy nature, and trained your mind and body to sit still and focus (or at least seem like you were), so your report cards read “a pleasure to have in class.” You feel the needs and emotions of others before you can clock your own. You go through the motions: working late, going to parties you don’t want to be at, remembering birthdays and appointments. You’re carrying the mental load, and it’s exhausting.

At some point, maybe you also decided to have a baby, because you always wanted to be a mother. Or because you felt like you were supposed to want to be a mother. Or you didn’t plan to become pregnant, but here you are, and life is changing faster than you can keep up. Or you really want to be and remain pregnant, and it seems like it’s happening for everyone else but you.

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Either way, you feel:

complete disconnected from yourself
overwhelmed
detached
lost

And now you’re looking around, and realizing you don’t know how you got here. Something doesn’t feel right, and you can’t put your finger on what. All you know is the anxiety is suffocating sometimes, you’re going so hard on autopilot because deep down you’re so exhausted you could sleep for a year, and still be tired when you wake up.

And even though you feel like you could collapse, you keep going. You keep holding, carrying, and silently struggling. As long as you’re still functioning, going to work, taking care of your baby, kids, partner, friends, family members, you can hide how much of a hard time you’re having, and how far away you’ve gotten from yourself. Because somewhere along the way, you learned to blame yourself for your own struggles. And now along with fear, burnout, anxiety and overwhelm you’re also silently carrying shame and guilt.

But what if the problem isn’t you at all? What if the problem is that you were never meant to carry this alone?

Neurodivergent trauma therapist in Albany, NY holding EMDR book

When I began trying to have a baby in my mid-30s, I thought I had life pretty well figured out. My career was moving forward. My relationship felt stable with our future goals in sight. My lifelong anxiety finally felt managed. I was solid. And a lot of people get pregnant and have babies, right? How hard could it be?

You might see where this is going. After the reality of trying to conceive, once I finally did get pregnant came all day nausea and fatigue to the point where I could barely function. Discomfort in my body, in my clothes, and an alienation from myself. I was aware that there was another life inside me, but couldn’t connect to it. I missed my autonomy, my agency, my body, my energy, my life. For the first time, along with the “advanced maternal age” stamp on my chart, came an awareness of my body as a ticking clock.

Let me know if this sounds familiar….

granules of sand spilling from a container in section on therapy for pregnancy and postpartum in Albany NY

And in this gap between expectations and reality, came anxiety. Endlessly obsessing every time I ate a burger that might have been too rare, a strawberry from the garden that I might not have rinsed off well enough, hyper fixation on every cramp, sign or symptom leading to endless googling and reassurance seeking.

And with the anxiety, guilt. Self judgment. Shame. Why did this seem harder for me than for everyone else? Why didn’t I like this? Why couldn’t I connect to the baby I was growing? Why did I wait so long to do this? And the question….was I not meant to be a parent? Was I already a bad mom?

Close up image of seashells and rocks on a beach in text for trauma therapist in Albany, NY

Fortunately, there was an end in sight. I endured pregnancy knowing (though not fully trusting) that eventually this baby would exit my body. I prepared for birth, went to breastfeeding classes, and got my home ready to welcome a newborn. But mostly, I just looked forward to going back to being myself. Sure, I would have a baby now, but aside from that I could go back to being the version of myself I was before, right? How much does having a baby really change your life?

ocean waves highlighting millennial stress on therapist page in Albany, NY

Well, once again, you can probably see where this is going. I had been prepared to give birth (though the experience itself was shocking), and for sleepless nights and less time for myself and with my partner. I wasn’t prepared for the intrusive thoughts, irritability, brain fog and relentless overwhelm and dread. Seven months postpartum, just as I was starting to adjust to my new life, we experienced a significant traumatic event that once again shook up our sense of stability. One and a half years later, my second son was born, and while this time I was prepared for the postpartum anxiety, at seven months postpartum I developed postpartum depression.

stacked jenga blocks falling over, demonstrating ADHD overwhelm and therapy in Albany, NY

All of the anxiety, guilt, fear, and shame I had been keeping at bay came rushing in. Because I am an EMDR therapist I began to notice the narratives in my head, telling me I was failing, not just at being a mother but in my relationship, my career, my friendships. Pulling at the threads, I realized these narratives weren’t new with motherhood, or with launching my business. These were old stories, stories a part of me had been whispering all my life, that I had learned to silence when things felt more manageable. But with two kids, a husband, pets and a business, I had too much noise in my head to keep them quiet any longer.

image of a butterfly indicating hope and growth due to trauma therapy in Albany, NY

I found a new therapist to help me explore and reprocess these old narratives, and was diagnosed with ADHD. And I began to approach myself with less shame, and more curiosity.

Embracing my neurodivergence, traveling to the places that feel scary and learning to accept all of my parts has given me a path forward. It’s hard to admit certain truths to myself. But it allows me to be human. To be known. To love and to be loved.

This is what I want for my clients, whether or not you have or want children, or identify as neurodivergent, or your gender identity. I want you to feel safe and supported enough to hear those whispered thoughts that come for us, and rather than turn away to go towards them. To follow them to the roots, and say, I see you, I welcome you, and you are only part of my story. I can create a new one now.

My approach is focused on the inner workings and beliefs you may not even know you are holding, shaped by your environment throughout the lifespan. Together, we will unravel and uncover the debris holding you back from being who you were always meant to be.

You’re here because you’ve done the work.

You’ve done therapy before, and while it helped to better understand why you think and feel the way you do, you are still stuck in the same old patterns.

You’re ready to try something new.

Illustration of a tall, slender green herb with narrow leaves, possibly a sprig of rosemary

How I work:

At the core of my approach to therapy is the belief that we have everything we need inside us to heal, and to step into our fully embodied selves, once we embrace all parts of ourselves.

I believe in the brain and body’s innate ability to adapt and grow when given a safe and supportive space to do so. Clients set the pace for therapy, so you will never feel pressured, but you will develop an understanding of and compassion for yourself. Collaboratively, we will work to help you feel more integrated and fully embodied in yourself.

Therapy with me is…

Nurturing

You are caring for everyone else in your life. Therapy can be a place for you to set down all that you are holding, to create space for you to care for yourself. I strive to create an environment whether online or in person that allows you to finally exhale. As tension eases and your system begins to feel safe and cared for, you will begin to discover younger parts of yourself holding old wounds and ignored pain. With gentle guidance, you will be able to go towards these younger parts of yourself, recognize them with compassion, and offer them the validation and unconditional love they always deserved.

curled wheat indicating flexibility in therapy for neurodivergent women in Albany, NY

Flexible

You have enough going on in your life, and therapy shouldn’t be another stressful chore to squeeze into an already too busy day. While you are here because you have a commitment to healing, and I strive to create a strong container for your system to feel safe enough to heal, I understand that the day to day doesn’t always go as planned. We may be deep in reprocessing, but having a tough week and need to vent about it? Go for it! Childcare fall through and baby joining us in session? Love it! Planning to come in person but time got away and you need to switch to virtual? Fine with me! Therapy should work with your needs.

A butterfly emerging from a cocoon indicating transformation through therapy in Albany, NY

Transformative

You are here because you want sometime deep in your core to shift. While I love to hear about your life and day to day, and believe there is more than enough space for problem solving and planning in therapy, at the end of the day you are here to find true healing and growth. I truly believe that how we respond to the issues and problems that we face in our day to day can be traced back to their roots to beliefs and narratives that we have been carrying with us since childhood. By following the vines all the way to the roots we can bring to light these stories, and begin to understand how they are shaping us in our present.

Specializing in…

01

Pregnancy and Postpartum

02

Midlife

03

Anxiety

04

Trauma

05

ADHD

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My Training & Education

I am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in the states of New York and Connecticut, and a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in Massachusetts. I obtained my MSW from Hunter College Silberman School of Social Work and graduated with honors. I am independently licensed to practice therapy and provide supervision in New York, Massachusetts and Connecticut.
I am EMDR certified through EMDRIA, and am an EMDR consultant in training. I have my perinatal mental health certification through postpartum support international, which means I have extensive training in supporting folks throughout their perinatal window. I am also trained in additional therapeutic modalities, including Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, and Skills Training in Affective and Interpersonal Relationships and Narrative Storytelling. I have clinical training and experience in supporting folks with ADHD.
I am affiliated with EMDRIA and Postpartum Support International.