Adolescence is a time of intense change, marked by experimentation and exploration of identities. The period is often tumultuous: at times exhilarating, at times challenging, and at times quite painful.

I truly enjoy working with teenagers and feel privileged when they allow me to join them in exploring their inner and outer worlds. I also learn a great deal from them in staying curious, being open to new experiences, and taking time to play and enjoy life. I am able to form strong therapeutic bonds with teenagers that foster growth. Even when adolescent clients come to therapy reluctantly, I’m able to spark their curiosity and collaborate with them on developing their own motivations and goals for treatment.

Therapy with teenagers generally includes parents or caretakers to a greater or lesser degree, depending on the family’s needs and the age of the client. I skillfully apply a variety of evidence-based and effective therapeutic approaches for teenagers, including cognitive behavioral therapy, dialectical behavioral therapy, exposure and response prevention, internal family systems, somatic techniques, and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing.

I have expertise in a wide range of challenges associated with this stage of life, including navigating peer and family relationships, coping with psychiatric disorders, managing academic and extracurricular stress, exploring sexual and gender identity, and facilitating family interactions.

I have published in peer-reviewed psychological journals on adolescent depression, and I spearheaded a research project at George Washington University aimed at preventing clinical depression in adolescent mothers.