Ten years into my clinical social work career, I did something that confused everyone: I went back to school to become an elementary school teacher.
For five years, I traded therapy sessions for lesson plans, working in the DOE system that so many of my clients navigate daily. But here’s what that detour taught me – sometimes you need to step away from something to understand exactly where you belong. Those classrooms full of kids who needed more support than any one teacher could provide sent me right back to clinical social work, this time knowing I’d never leave again.
I’m from the Bronx, always have been, always will be. This isn’t just where I work – it’s home.
The people who walk through my door are my neighbors, my community. I worked retail, office jobs, delivered packages to pay for school, all while watching how this unique pocket between Manhattan and Westchester shapes people in ways outsiders don’t always understand. We’re resilient here, but we’re also carrying more than we should have to.
My real education started in a therapeutic nursery program working with 3-to-5-year-olds and their families. Watching those tiny humans process big feelings while their parents learned alongside them was when I knew helping children meant helping entire family systems. I’d wished for therapy as a child myself, and now I could be the support I never had.
I’m a hit-the-ground-running therapist – we start setting goals immediately because you came for change, and I respect that urgency. Clients tell me I don’t sound like a “medical professional” – I sound like a real person. Easy to talk to. Someone who actually listens. That’s intentional. Therapy shouldn’t feel like visiting a doctor who speaks in code. It should feel like working with someone who gets that life is extremely stressful and you need both understanding and actual tools to deal with it.
My trauma-based training taught me that most of what we struggle with has roots we can work through. I use talk therapy to help you understand your patterns and experiences, plus skill-building so you have concrete strategies when life gets overwhelming. I work with children, families, and adults dealing with anxiety, depression, trauma, ADHD, and autism spectrum challenges.
Outside of work, you’ll find me at concerts, playing board games with friends, planning road trips or deep in a book. Art energizes me, nature sparks my creativity, and my friends keep me grounded.
The thing that frustrates me most is when people say “I don’t need therapy, I’m not crazy.” Everyone can benefit from having a space to be heard and supported because while we are all doing the best we know how to do, we can always be doing better.
