Clinical Psychologist. Psychoanalyst. Author. Podcast Host. Speaker.
I am a clinical psychologist and relational psychoanalyst with over thirty years of experience in private practice. I focus on creating a warm, empathic relationship with my patients in which we understand their emotional struggles and put together a plan for change.
I have advanced training in the treatment of substance abuse and eating disorders. In addition, I have a “Sane Parenting in a Crazy World” segment of my practice in which I provide short-term consultation for parents to help them better understand their children’s needs and difficulties.
I have extensive experience working with severe mental illness, including providing cognitive-behavioral consultations on psychiatric inpatient units and designing and running an inpatient unit for psychiatrically ill substance abusers for over ten years. In addition to my hands-on clinical work, I supervise doctoral students and provide training for substance abuse treatment centers.
Writing about clinical work is a personal passion of mine and I have recently published papers about working as a therapist during times of loss and conducting animal-assisted psychotherapy. My recently completed manuscript, “If I Could Turn Back Time: Stories from Behind Closed Doors” takes the reader deep into the hearts and minds of ten memorable patients and offers a close look at how change actually happens in psychotherapy.
I enjoy speaking on topics such as parenting difficult adolescents, the treatment of substance abuse, understanding eating disorders, managing anxiety and depression, and unlocking the enigma of making and sustaining personal change. I have presented numerous papers about clinical work at psychoanalytic conferences in the United States and in Europe.
My husband and I live on Long Island, where we enjoy boating, golf, and hiking. We have two young adult human children and three canine children. Love, work, animals, and exercise are for me the necessary ingredients for an authentic, intentional life.
