PA Licensed Psychologist
DBT-Linehan Board of Certification, Certified DBT Clinician
Office: 105 Bala Avenue, Bala Cynwyd PA 19004
Phone: 215-219-1684 Email: [email protected]
Population: Young adults, adults, individuals and groups
I am a licensed psychologist who has been working in the area of women’s mental health for approximately 20 years. The majority of my work involves helping people understand their emotions as well as the impact that their emotions have on their thoughts and behaviors. In our work together, we will identify the thoughts and feelings that might be interfering with your ability to move forward in your life.
I earned my doctoral degree from LaSalle University in 2003. Upon the completion of my doctoral requirements, I was invited to stay as adjunct faculty and graciously accepted. I have had the pleasure of teaching in the Doctoral Program at La Salle University and have taught courses in Abnormal Psychology, Theories of Personality, Group and Family Systems, and an Advanced Topics course on Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT). In addition to pure academic instruction, I also have the opportunity to share my clinical expertise with my students. I have the pleasure of supervising second, third and forth year doctoral students in their learning and application of DBT in a clinical setting at La Salle University’s Community Center for Psychological Services (LUCCPS). In addition to this, I also sit on dissertation committees and help students wrestle with questions about regulating emotions, suicidal behaviors, eating disorders, and depression.
After graduation, I completed my post-doctoral training. At the Renfrew Center of Philadelphia, I was the psychologist in the Intensive Outpatient Program. I worked with women with various eating disorders, ranging from Anorexia, Bulimia, Binge Eating Disorder, and Eating Disorder N.O.S. While the diagnoses were often different, our work would frequently involve understanding the connection between thoughts, feelings and eating disordered behaviors. While it’s true that eating disorders are often about the body and food, it’s also true that they are about everything else in the individual’s life-namely the thoughts and feeling s about their world.
After leaving Renfrew, I began training and learning about DBT. My love of learning about DBT has been insatiable ever since. In 2008, I was intensively trained by Behavioral Tech, LLC as a DBT clinician. Behavioral tech, is the training organization out of University of Washington and connected to Marsha Linehan’s lab. They train clinicians internationally, and as of today, it is the only training group directly connected to Marsha Linehan.
I am proud to say that I have earned DBT certification through the Dialectical Behavior Therapy- Linehan Board of Certification (DBT-LBC). The only one of its kind, the DBT-LBC has taken on the task of identifying what criteria a ‘certified’ DBT clinician would need, and then is ensuring that there is a process by which to credential individuals who meet those criteria. This rigorous process is currently underway, and I am excited to have successfully completed it.
I read as much as I can, attend conferences with my students, and encourage others to learn about this “east meets west” philosophy and practice. This passion for the mindfulness-based practices has also led me to expand my cognitive- behaviorally trained practice to include the influences of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT), Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) and Functional Analytic Psychotherapy (FAP). Most recently, I have attended some mindfulness training, and as such I have expanded my practice outside the clinical world and into my private life as well.
I have also been involved in learning about Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS) and the effects that it has on eating, psychological distress, and mood. I have written a chapter in “The Dietitian’s Guide to Polycystic Ovary Syndrome”, by Angela Grassi, MS, RD, LDN, on the psychological impact of PCOS, and have co-authored “The PCOS Workbook: Your Complete Guide to Physical and Emotional Health”.
