About

My approach

I integrate techniques from evidence-based approaches including acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), compassion-focused therapy, mindfulness-based therapies, and cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). I also use inference-based CBT (ICBT) and exposure and response prevention (ERP) to treat OCD.

My aim is to help you be more present and compassionate in your daily life, discover what is most important to you, and take action to create your most meaningful and fulfilling life.

Our work together is collaborative - you are the expert in your life.

It takes courage to reach out for help. I would be honored to accompany and support you on the journey of self-discovery, personal growth, and change that comes with therapy.

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Acceptance & Commitment Therapy (ACT)

ACT is an evidence-based approach to therapy used successfully with a variety of concerns, including anxiety, depression, OCD, substance use issues, and others.

ACT seeks to increase psychological flexibility, which is the ability to be in the here-and-now in any situation and choose how you wish to respond, rather than being controlled by behaviors from the past or automatic impulses.

ACT is a behavioral approach that encourages clients to take action towards what matters to them. By learning skills to help them to open up to and step back from difficult thoughts and feelings, and be more emotionally present, clients clarify their values and engage in behaviors that help them show up as the people they wish to be.

To learn more about ACT, please visit this site.

You can’t stop the waves, but you can learn to surf.

Jon Kabat-Zinn

Treatment for OCD

There are several evidence-based treatments for working with obsessive compulsive disorder, including ACT, ERP, and ICBT.

Exposure and response prevention (ExRP or ERP) is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) that seeks to disrupt the connection that the brain has made between obsessions and compulsions. Through exposing the brain to stimuli that trigger obsessive thoughts and anxiety, and refraining from engaging in behaviors (compulsions) that neutralize that anxiety, the brain learns that anxiety will dissipate on its own without the use of compulsions. To learn more about ERP, visit this site.

Inference-based CBT (ICBT) is an approach that focuses on the cognitive processes involved in OCD. ICBT posits that OCD occurs when triggers lead to obsessive doubts, which then lead to compulsive behaviors. This is due to a faulty reasoning process that overemphasizes imagined possibility rather than focusing on the here-and-now. Learning how to use healthy reasoning rather than obsessional reasoning will resolve doubts, which then eliminate the need for compulsions. To learn more about ICBT, visit this site.

 

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Background

BA in Psychology from McGill University

Master of Science in Counseling from Johns Hopkins University

I have experience working with adolescents and adults in private and public schools, private practice, and intensive outpatient services programs. I enjoy and have experience working with clients of diverse backgrounds and demographics. I affirm and support those who identify along the LGBTQIA+ spectrum.

I am a licensed clinical professional counselor (LCPC) in the state of Maryland.

Maryland license # LC12076.