Services / Specialties
How I Can Help You
INITIAL CONSULTATION: I offer an initial 15-minute phone consultation free of charge.
During this phone call we will talk about what's going on in your life, what you are looking to accomplish in therapy, and determine if we are a good fit.
Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new beginning
- Carl Bard
The Process
How Therapy Works
Call Me
Call me / email me / get in touch today. I will answer any questions you may have and we can determine together if we’re a good fit.
Get the Support You Need
Join me weekly in-person or via online telehealth therapy. Together, we will develop the tools you need to let go of unhealthy ways of coping. My goal is to help you gain relief from your symptoms as soon as possible.
Find Your Joy in Life Again
Begin the journey to finding happiness and feeling like yourself again!
You don’t have to keep struggling. I can help you get "unstuck" and live the life you want to live.
Anxiety & Stress
We all experience stress in our daily life. Stress is the mental or physical reaction we have to a specific experience in our life. It can be a negative experience such as a lack of money to pay our bills, moving away from home, health challenges, or fighting with a loved one. The experience can also be a positive one such as planning a wedding or starting a new job. For many people, the nervousness or worry pass after the threat is gone or action is taken to relieve the stress.
However, for millions of others, the stress continues without the stressor and can manifest in the form of persistent racing thoughts, fear, and feelings of impending doom. This type of chronic excessive worrying that does not go away and continues for over 6 months can become an anxiety disorder.
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, anxiety disorders are the most common mental health disorder in America.
You don’t have to suffer alone. I help clients understand anxiety and how it impacts their life. I help them find ways to work through the thoughts that cause them to feel anxious and develop skills to reframe those thought patterns in helpful ways. I will help you learn new coping mechanisms that will allow you to live your life based on your values and not on fear.
Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)
OCD affects 1-2% of the adult population and is a mental health disorder that is often misunderstood.
Untreated OCD can be debilitating however it is highly treatable and responds well to a specific form of cognitive behavioral therapy called Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP) therapy.
Those struggling with OCD experience intrusive, unwanted thoughts, images, or urges that cause intense distress and are difficult to ignore. These are referred to as obsessions.
Compulsions on the other hand are repetitive actions, in the form of behaviors or thoughts, that the individual engages in to reduce the distress/anxiety/discomfort brought on by the obsessions.
Both the obsessions and compulsions are time consuming and interfere with important aspects of the individual’s life.
-
Common Obsessions:
-
Fear that you may act on an impulse to harm others
-
Fear that you may act on an impulse to harm yourself
-
Fear that you may come in contact with dangerous or deadly germs
-
Fear that you may come in contact with environmental contaminants
-
Fear that you are “dirty” from having touched something
-
Fear that you will be responsible for something terrible happening if you aren’t careful enough
-
Fear that you might have a serious medical issue
-
Fear that you might be a bad person in some way
-
Fear of vomiting
-
Excessive concern/doubt about your sexual orientation
-
Unwanted thoughts or mental images related to sex
-
Excessive concern about things that happened in the past
-
Thoughts that someone in your life might die, and that you could have prevented it in some way
-
Fear that you did or that you may offend God
-
An intense need for symmetry and balance
-
Excessive concern/uncertainty about relationships
-
-
Common Compulsions:
-
Washing your hands excessively and/or in a ritualized manner
-
Seeking reassurance from others
-
Repetitively checking your appearance in the mirror
-
Excessively cleaning your items
-
Checking that you did not/will not harm others
-
Checking that you did not/will not harm yourself
-
Doing things in a specific order and becoming frustrated when you are interrupted
-
Mentally reassuring yourself every time your fears are triggered
-
Avoiding people or situations that trigger your obsessions
-
Repeatedly “checking” things like door locks, the stove, and other items.
-
Praying excessively and/or in a highly repetitive manner
-
Completing rituals based on lucky and/or unlucky numbers
-
Replacing a “bad” thought with a “good” thought
-
Repeating certain tasks until they are perfect or “just right”
-
Completing certain repetitive, tic-like bodily motions
-
Staying in constant contact with loved ones to make sure that they are safe
-
Making excessive doctor’s appointments or repetitively seeking out medical advice from others to make sure you are not experiencing a serious health issue
-
Perinatal Mental Health
Symptoms of perinatal mood and anxiety disorders (PMADs) include more than depression and can occur during pregnancy as well as postpartum. Diagnoses include anxiety, depression, panic, obsessive compulsive disorder, psychosis, PTSD, and more.
I am trained by Postpartum Support International (PSI) and am experienced in working with PMADs. I know the importance of creating a safe therapeutic space for you to heal and grow into the parent you want to be. The path to parenthood can have many ups and downs. Whether you are coping with managing anxiety and sadness during pregnancy or postpartum, or balancing the constant overwhelm of parenting a baby, I am here to support you.
PSI reports that 1 in 7 moms and 1 in 10 dads suffer from postpartum depression.
You are not alone.
Symptoms of PMADs can vary from person to person and can appear up to the first year
following birth.
-
Some common symptoms include:
-
Feelings of sadness or excessive crying
-
Feelings of anger or irritability
-
Just not feeling like yourself
-
Difficulty bonding with your baby
-
Feeling anxious, panicky, or like something terrible is going to happen
-
Constant worry
-
Having problems with eating or sleeping
-
Experiencing intrusive and upsetting thoughts that you can’t get out of your mind
-
Possible thoughts of harming yourself or your baby
-
Physical symptoms like dizziness, hot flashes, and nausea
-
Online Therapy
I offer online telehealth appointments to residents anywhere in Connecticut. If scheduling an in-office session is challenging due to your work schedule or childcare needs, online telehealth therapy may be a great option for you.
Online therapy is conducted through a secure HIPAA-compliant video platform and can be scheduled during your lunch break, while the kids are napping, or even in between meetings. During online therapy, we can work on a variety of different mental health concerns that are keeping you from living your life to the fullest.
I specialize in treating adolescents and adults struggling with OCD and various anxiety disorders, as well as moms who need support with postpartum anxiety and depression, or dealing with the demands of motherhood.
I meet my clients where they are at and tailor my therapy based on your needs. Some of the common forms of therapy I use in my online therapy sessions are Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), Exposure and Ritual Prevention (ERP), Mindfulness, and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).