My Background
I have had a long-standing personal interest in learning
ways to relax and manage stress. During my time in
graduate school, these skills helped me in managing my own
stress and in working with clients. In my clinical work, I
noticed the importance of clients’ participation in
relaxing or pleasurable activities and became curious
about factors that facilitate or impede peoples’
participation in these types of behaviors. I went on to
complete my dissertation on the connection between women’s
attitudes about self-care, their participation in relaxing
activities, and their levels of stress and depression.
My interest in self-care and in the connection between mind and body includes people’s difficulties with food. I believe that having a normalized relationship with food is an essential element of mental and physical health. This includes getting adequate nutrition and finding pleasure in eating without using food as an attempt to control difficult feelings.
I received my B.A. from Connecticut College, where I studied Psychology and Economics, and an M.A. in Economics from Boston University. I earned a Psy.D. from the Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology in 2004. I consider it a privilege to collaborate with clients to overcome challenges and achieve greater well-being. I also believe that psychological interventions can improve both mental and physical health and have economic benefits for individuals and society.
I am a member of the following organizations: