Who am I?

I’m a licensed mental health counselor (LMHC), based in Western Massachusetts, providing outpatient therapy both in person and via telehealth. I specialize in working with autistic, ADHD, and/or anxious teens and adults and I especially enjoy working with neurodivergent queer, transgender, and otherwise marginalized people. I can help with difficulties related to executive functioning, anxiety, mood, obsessions and compulsions, and living in a society that does not appreciate diversity as much as we need it to.

I use the term “neuroqueer”, defined here by Dr. Nick Walker, to describe both who I am and what I do. More specifically, I’m a queer autistic ADH parent who’s experienced both anxiety and depression. I offer my perspective and support as both a licensed clinician and as a person with lived experience. I’m also a middle class, cisgender, white women who has been able to access and afford higher education. I strive to practice awareness and cultural humility regarding my privilege.

Fun facts:

• I’ve had previous careers in professional theater (as a stage manager) and education (as an elementary and middle school teacher… the hardest job I’ve ever had).

• Aside from about 6 years in NYC, I’ve lived in Western Mass for most of my life.

• My wife and I are parents to an incredible young adult.

• When I’m not working, I enjoy watching TV, movies, plays, and musicals; playing board games; traveling; and making and appreciating art.

What do I do?

Most of my therapeutic work involves asking questions intended to help people think about themselves and their experiences in new ways. After building a strong rapport, I seek to explore and, potentially, gently challenge people’s previous assumptions or patterns of thinking and behavior. I also encourage people to push-back when I’m not quite getting it right. I like the term “empathetic curiosity.”

I can offer tools and techniques from many different therapeutic modalities and other people with lived-experience, including resources I’ve made and those that I can find to fit specific situations or provide more information about specific topics. While I don’t assign homework, I do encourage people to think of ways they can continue their therapeutic work between sessions.

Some of the modalities I’ve had training in include:

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)

• Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT)

• Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP)

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)

• Internal Family Systems (IFS)

• the Predictive Processing Flash trauma tool (previously known as 4 Blinks)

• Positive Psychology

• Narrative Therapy

I also strongly believe in Lived-Experience Informed Practice, as described in this Medium article by Sonny Jane Wise. If self-disclosure is appropriate and desired, I’m willing to share examples of things that have worked for me or other people I’ve worked with. I truly believe the quote at the top of this page and I strive to be a co-creator of people’s therapeutic journeys. I see myself as more of a curious collaborator than an all-knowing expert.