My journey to this role and space has been winding and heartfelt. My first degree is in economics and government from Claremont McKenna College, where I sparked a curiosity for the interconnectedness of people and culture and context. My second degree is in psychology summa cum laude from Florida Atlantic University. I was fortunate to begin my work in research at FAU where I learned applied statistics, experimental design, and marveled at the complexity and depth of the human mind, as well as the very real limitations of controlled studies. I then spent a few years working in neurodegenerative disease research at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of Pennsylvania; my role took me into patient homes to complete neuropsychiatric assessments where I met families, sat on couches, pet dogs, and found myself humbled by the gut-punch, heart-hurt, and complexity of living with and loving others with early onset dementia. That experience motivated me to pursue graduate school in clinical social work. I pursued my Master of Social Service from the Bryn Mawr Graduate School of Social Work and Social Research where I was a Named Scholar of Gerontology. After graduating, I pursued clinical licensure in Virginia while working in palliative medicine, home hospice, and grief group facilitation.

Throughout my academic and professional training, I experienced multiple heartbreaking, sudden losses. My grief informed my training, education, and what I do (and don’t do) as a therapist. It wisened me towards respect for people who choose to engage in grief work and the toughness of self-compassion. I am still a woman who is, amongst other things, a griever. I hold this closely to heart. I also hold purposeful passion that human beings are more than brains in vats, mothers are more than productivity machines, life is more than a long to-do list, and women’s experience as women matters—same for men, as well as queer and trans people.

Today, I offer individual therapy to women, free peer support groups for women in-person and online, as well as couples and family therapy to families of all sizes navigating life-altering loss. I engage in public speaking, providing trainings on radically compassionate ACT for grief care to mental health professionals, as well as speak on occasional podcast appearances to the public. I offer service to the social work community as Former Co-Chair/Current Board Member of the Social Work Special Interest Group at the Association for Contextual and Behavioral Science and to Richmond, Virginia as the Former Chair/Current Steering Committee Member of the Bereavement Coalition of Central Virginia.

I aspire for myself to balance rigorous training with heartfelt practice, to know and honor my inner true north, and to walk courageously as a whole person in my imperfect, complex, beloved, mortal life. My values are: to delight, to kindle, and to nurture. My word in 2026 is to flourish.