Ages I work with:
Adults & Teens
Languages I speak:
English
Who I am:
I use she/her pronouns.
I love working with:
- Those who feel childhood events have played a role in shaping their OCD/anxiety
- Teens and adults with OCD, social anxiety, generalized anxiety, panic, and phobias
(including emetophobia- fear of vomiting) - Adults who wish to work through past distressing incidents
- People that are especially hard on themselves (including perfectionists)
My training background and therapy approaches include:
I completed my bachelor’s degree in psychology from Illinois Wesleyan University and my master’s degree in social work from the University of Illinois at Chicago. I have been a licensed clinical social worker (LCSW) since 2009 and in the past worked in foster care and with girls exiting sex trafficking. While working in foster care I discovered my passion for individual therapy, especially working with teens and adult women. I worked at the Center for OCD and Anxiety-Related Disorders at Saint Louis Behavioral Medicine Institute for over 7 years, treating OCD and anxiety at the outpatient and IOP levels of care. I completed the Professional Training Institute for the treatment of Body Focused Repetitive Behaviors (trichotillomania and excoriation disorder) in 2014.
My main therapy approach is Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) which includes Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) and Inferenced Based Cognitive Behavioral therapy (I-CBT). I am also trained in EMDR (eye-movement desensitization and reprocessing) which is an evidence-based treatment for trauma and Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). I completed my training in EMDR in 2012 and have specialized in the treatment of anxiety and OCD since 2014.
How I help:
My style is open and collaborative. I welcome questions and work hard to ensure that my clients feel seen and understood. My goal is to help clients take skills and strategies learned in session and use them independently. I firmly believe that therapy is an investment in the future, even though it’s hard work now. Most things that are worthwhile in life are not easy and this is no exception!
More about me:
In my free time, I enjoy curling up with a cup of tea and a good book, listening to live music, taking walks in the park, playing with my dog and watching HGTV.