What should I expect in our first session?
First we will spend time talking about your reasons for coming in, and I’ll gather information about your background, including your medical, psychiatric and social history. To make the assessment as comfortable as possible, I’ll always go at your speed. I’ll then answer any questions you may have about my treatment approach, and together we’ll come up with an initial treatment plan that fits your needs.
How do you describe your therapeutic approach?
I believe that a strong therapeutic relationship is the most important part of therapy, so my goal from the beginning is to build rapport, trust and transparency.
I use cognitive behavioral techniques to help people build coping skills for symptom management while also using a psychodynamic lens (i.e.- looking into your past experiences and relationships) to build self-understanding. But instead of trying to force a specific technique or therapeutic modality onto everyone, I tailor my approach to suit the needs of the person sitting in front of me. I will also incorporate medication(s) if they are warranted to manage symptoms.
How long have you been practicing?
I’ve been working as a psychiatric nurse practitioner since 2014. Prior to that, I worked on psychiatric inpatient units as a registered nurse at Harvard University’s McLean Hospital in Boston, MA and New York Presbyterian-Columbia University Medical center here in New York. Before that, I worked as a research assistant at McLean Hospital studying the
genetics of acute psychiatric disorders.
What do you specialize in?
Adults with a wide range psychiatric concerns, including depression, anxiety, ADHD, bipolar disorder, PTSD, and personality difficulties.
What research areas are you interested in?
I am fascinated by how psychotherapy has the ability to increase neuroplasticity and make structural changes in the brain. There is growing evidence that psychotherapy, in addition to antidepressants, causes changes in brain structure by creating new neurons, strengthening neural connections, and even building new neurological pathways. This means that shifting beliefs and habits through talk therapy can actually create biological changes to the brain that can help us overcome mental health conditions such as depression and anxiety.
What’s the most rewarding part of your job?
Building relationships with patients and seeing my clients’ hard work in therapy positively affect their lives.
What inspired you to get into counseling?
Pretty simple: I have always had the desire and the drive to help those in need. I think part of this stems from watching my father help out homeless people in the Bronx when he worked as a Pepsi truck driver. Whether it was buying them lunch or simply engaging them in a friendly conversation, I always recall having a positive experience witnessing this when I sometimes rode alongside him as a kid.
In another life, if you weren’t working in counseling, what would you be doing?
Ice hockey has always been a passion of mine. I started playing at a young age and grew up rooting for the Rangers, so I have to say that I would be playing for the New York Rangers in another (dream) life!
What is a self-care ritual you practice?
Exercise, ice hockey, and cooking.