Teaching people how to regulate their emotions is crime prevention. It’s addiction prevention. It’s suicide prevention. It’s generational healing.
I found those words on Instagram and they stopped my scroll because they explain exactly why I do what I do. Emotional regulation isn’t just a soft skill – it’s survival. It’s how we build a world where people can disagree without dehumanizing each other, where accountability isn’t an attack and conflict doesn’t always have to mean violence.
This understanding is what drove me to get two graduate degrees – one in Forensic Psychology, one in Forensic Mental Health Counseling. I believe if mental health treatment was more accessible, there would be less crime. The system is too reactive, waiting for hospital admissions or arrests AFTER something happens, instead of helping when someone’s clearly struggling and needs support.
I’ll be honest, part of my inspiration came from watching BD Wong play the forensic psychiatrist on Law & Order. I found his role fascinating. Now, working at a psychiatric hospital, I meet patients who’ve committed crimes due to delusions or paranoia from their mental illness. It’s intriguing and heartbreaking at the same time, seeing how untreated symptoms led to consequences that could have been prevented.
My approach is integrative and holistic, centered on the mind-body connection.
I’m a certified yoga instructor with trauma yoga training, and while becoming a mom with a full-time job has meant less time on the mat, that somatic awareness shapes everything about how I help clients reconnect with themselves.
The moments that remind me why I do this work are when someone tells you they’re thankful but can’t quite explain why and when you see them become healthier and happier over time. That’s when you remember that therapy is about human connection as much as clinical skills.
Born and raised in the New York suburbs with Italian and Spanish heritage, I worked in restaurants through school and spent years in community mental health before landing here. Now I spend my days helping people find peace within their lives and my evenings watching my son discover the world – amazed at his little brain working when he learns something new.
Therapy with me can be whatever you want it to be. Use your time however you need – talk about your day, your family or anything else that’s on your mind. It’s your safe space, and you don’t need something to be “wrong” to deserve support.
