After more than twenty years practicing law in Philadelphia as a Harvard-trained civil litigator, I came to see one day that I would be much more deeply fulfilled working as an instrument of healing than I had been working as a combatant in our American adversarial system of justice.  This epiphany led me to make a mid-life career change to become a therapist and dedicate my professional life to supporting people’s personal growth.

           

I have benefited firsthand from several gifted therapists who walked with me on my own mental health journey over the years.  To quote Robert Frost, “I have been one acquainted with the night.”  In the wake of my divorce when my son was a toddler, I suffered from crippling depression.  One therapist in particular helped me immensely by never giving up on me even when I had given up on myself and by continuing to believe in me even after I stopped believing in myself.  I am grateful, as a therapist, to be able to pay forward that therapist’s kindness and use my own personal experience with mental illness and recovery to support clients in their healing.

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As a therapist, I used a strengths-based approach that affirms clients for their resilience and draws upon their inner resources to support their growth.  I employ a humanistic modality that creates a safe space in which clients can share freely their trauma and shame without fear of judgment.  The life challenges I have faced and surmounted in my life have given me a deep well of compassion, which I use to support my clients on their own journeys of healing.

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I am particularly interested in poetry as a healing modality.  As an English major at Swarthmore College, I gained a broad exposure to poetry, and I draw on that breadth in sharing with clients diverse poems that can help them with their mental health challenges.  I also support clients in using creative expression, whether through poetry, music, or visual art to promote their mental health.  I am a published poet, with a stanza from my “Love Poem for Robin” published on the Poetry and Places web site and my prose poem “Free Dad Hugs” published on The Good Men Project web site.

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Other therapeutic modalities that I employ include motivational interviewing, internal family systems, attachment theory, and cognitive behavioral therapy.  I have particular experience working with clients recovering from substance use disorders and other addictions such as sex addiction, love addiction, and codependence.

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Education & Credentials:

• Licensed Social Worker, PA #SW141756

• Master of Social Work, Temple University College of Public Health

• Juris Doctor, Harvard Law School

• Bachelor of Arts (English Literature and Mathematics double major), Swarthmore College

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Treatment Areas: Adults​

 

Languages: English & French

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Languages: English

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Accepted Plans: CBH/Medicaid, Quest​, Aetna, Optum/United