I strive to help people lead free and authentic lives, to give generously, and to inhale life voraciously. For the past 20 years, I’ve had a variety of roles:

Therapist

I earned my Psy.D. from Widener University in 1994, with an interest in women’s concerns and particularly their relationships with their bodies. My dissertation was titled "The Weight Obsession: Women’s Disconnection from Their Bodies." After graduate school, I worked with adolescents in the Philadelphia public schools through Albert Einstein Medical Center and then worked with children and adults at Dr. Jeffrey A. Fine and Associates’ private practice. For eight years, I worked at the renowned Renfrew Center, treating adults and adolescents with eating disorders. And, since 1998, I’ve worked in private practice, seeing children, adults, families, and couples.

Spiritual Director

In 2013, I completed the two-year Lev Shomea training in Jewish Spiritual Direction. Along with seeing people in individual spiritual direction, I lead three monthly spiritual-direction groups: a parenting group called “Co-parenting with God,” a spiritual-direction and music group called “Finding the Voice Within,” co-led with music therapist Julie Lipson, and a drop-in group on Saturday morning co-led by Andrea Madden and Rabbi Shawn Zevit.

Teacher

I love teaching graduate students and have taught group therapy and case conferences as an adjunct faculty member in the Creative Arts and Therapy Department of Drexel University (2009–2014), at Widener University (2005‑2006), and at Immaculata College (1997–1999).

Public Speaker

For many years, I have conducted workshops and trainings for therapists and lay people. Talks have included—

• "What to Share and What Not to Share: Making Wise Decisions about Self-Disclosure," with Bloomgarden, A. and Gerstein, F., Psychotherapy Networker Symposium: Break Through, March 2010 (for CE credits).
• "The Imperfect Therapist—Using the Therapist's Sense of Shame and Disappointment to Counteract the Eating Disordered Client's Desire for Perfection," Renfrew Center Foundation Conference for Professionals: Feminist Perspectives and Beyond, November 2009 (for CE credits).
• "Congratulations. You Have a Boy … There’s a Problem: One Therapist’s Journey Through Birthing and Parenting a Child with an Illness," The Parent Child Center of the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia, October 2009 (for CE credits).
• "The Perils of Rigid Adherence: A Look Back at a Group," Philadelphia Area Group Psychotherapy Society, December 2008 (for CE credits).

I’ve also led workshops and given talks for lay people—one for Hadassah on the process of aging (2012), and one for Mishkan Shalom on parenting (2008).

Writer

I enjoy writing about psychotherapy and about personal growth. Published articles:

• "Finding the Voice Within", Presence, Spiritual Directors International, December 2015.
• “Acceptance of My Inner Zusya”, Currents, Philadelphia Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology newsletter, Spring/Summer 2013.
• “The Perils of Rigid Adherence.” Chapter in Psychotherapist Revealed: Therapists Speak About Self-Disclosure in Psychotherapy. Routledge, 2009.
• "A Life Lesson on the Waterslide”, Philadelphia Society for Psychoanalytic Psychology newsletter, Fall 2008.

Board Member

I was on the board of the Philadelphia Area Group Psychotherapy Society from 1998 to 2014, serving variously as president, treasurer, secretary, and board member.

Learner

I’ve pursued postgraduate training in Eriksonian hypnosis, Systems Centered Therapy, Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing (EMDR), and group therapy.