My Practice

In working together and understanding the needs of either your child or your self we can develop a personalized therapy plan. I believe in maintaining long term relationships with clients and/or their children and particularly enjoy providing support over the life span as needs grow and evolve. I have been trained in a variety of techniques and consider my therapeutic approach eclectic. I believe in developing individualized treatment plans that may include both CBT type approaches, and/or more psychodynamic treatment when appropriate. In summary, I believe in tailoring treatment that is best suited for each individual.

I have experience working with a wide range of people experiencing challenges. In particular, I have seen many individuals who struggle with Anxiety, Depression, ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorder. I also see people dealing with life transitions, college related stress, divorce, social challenges, and those who are simply seeking personal growth.

It’s not easy being a child in Silicon Valley. In general, the culture places high value on performance and being very busy. In fact, over the years, many kids have told me that “achievement is everything.” In such a culture, it’s hard to “just be a kid.” And unfortunately, face-to-face play is going down while screen time is going up.

In my work, I support kids and parents by finding practical strategies to cope with our achievement culture. Coping begins with feelings. Children tend to struggle when they don’t understand their feelings, don’t talk about them and don’t know what triggers them. So kids benefit a great deal when they gain clarity about their emotions and verbalize them with someone who is trained to be empathic. As this process unfolds, one’s emotional intelligence and coping skills improve. And naturally, quality of life gets better as well.

Identity is a central aspect of teen development. A common analogy is that teens keep trying on new clothes until they find ones that fit best. The process of finding one’s identity can be a confusing and painful process. So therapy is a safe way for teens to find out who they are.

For various reasons, it can be hard for adolescents to trust adults. It’s been my experience that teens tend to perceive me as genuine and empathic. And when their trust is earned, teens can more readily benefit from therapy.

In my experience, young adults are often trying to understand what they want from relationships, college, jobs and friendships. And once they figure out what they want, it’s a question of knowing how to get it. I enjoy collaborating with young adults on this journey.

In recent years, while I have adopted the office policy that remote sessions can be a viable form of delivering therapy, I prefer to see individuals in person when possible. Although there is research showing that Telehealth is as effective as in-person therapy, I believe that in-person therapy offers benefits that Telehealth does not. Nevertheless, when it comes to parent meetings, remote therapy’s convenience is often preferred.