Biography

After receiving my M.S.W. from Smith College School for Social Work in 1984 I completed a two-year fellowship with the National Institute of Mental Health, Washington, D.C. at St. Elizabeths Hospital.  Upon completing my fellowship I worked for several years as Coordinator of the Couples and Family Program in The George Washington Department of Psychiatry and opened my private practice in Maryland, later adding an office in McLean, VA.

Throughout my practice I have continued my training, first as a psychoanalyst in the Contemporary Freudian Society and then receiving my Ph.D. in clinical social work.

Training other clinicians is an important part of my work.  I supervise social work and psychology graduate students and psychiatry residents and professionals in the field.

I am co-chair of New Directions in Writing, a three-year postgraduate training program that brings together clinicians, academicians, and writers in an environment designed to foster intellectual growth and enhance participants’ ability to write about personal and professional topics.

I founded the The Things They Carry, offering virtual writing workshops for healthcare and frontline workers, and was named the Associate Editor, The Journal of American Psychoanalytic.

Services Provided

  • Individual Psychotherapy for adults, adolescents and children
  • Psychoanalysis
  • Parent Guidance
  • Couples Therapy
  • Consultation/Supervision

 

Specialty Areas

  • Depression – sadness, low self-esteem
  • Anxiety
  • Relationship and Intimacy Issues – current and long-standing
  • Loss and Grief
  • Life Transitions –premarital, separation, divorce, aging
  • Preparation for and Adjustment to College
  • Parent Guidance

 

 

 

 

Teaching

Alongside my private practice I have taught in social work and psychology graduate programs and local psychotherapy training programs. These include:

  • The George Washington University Ph.D. and Psy.D. Programs
  • Smith College School for Social Work
  • Virginia Commonwealth University School of Social Work
  • The Washington School of Psychiatry
  • Contemporary Freudian Society Institute
  • Co-Chair New Directions, a three-year writing program for psychotherapists offered by the Wash Psychoanalytic Center.

Presentations

I have presented, discussed or moderated papers at over 60 National and regional conferences, such as The American Psychological Association, The American Psychoanalytic Association, Greater Washington Society for Clinical Social Work, and The Baltimore-Washington Psychoanalytic Society.