Eating Disorder and Substance use Recovery in Midtown Atlanta

Your decision to enter therapy can feel both empowering and risky, because therapy requires you to invest a certain level of trust and vulnerability.  I promise to treat you with compassion and respect, regardless of what you disclose. You can expect me to provide a consistently warm, empathic, direct, and active presence.  I believe in authenticity and transparency - which means that I will be real with you, and I will at times challenge you. We will definitely laugh, maybe a lot. I know that psychotherapy can be a powerful and transformative experience, and I will do my part to provide that experience for you. Beyond alleviating your current distress, my goal is to help you to deepen your connection to your authentic self so that you can live more freely and fully.

Therapy Process: My approach is collaborative and client-focused. We’ll begin by establishing treatment goals, identifying what you hope to be different as a result of our time together. As your therapist, I will try to address your immediate and pressing concerns while working to understand and explore longstanding patterns of coping with your emotions, and relating to others, which may be holding you back. Our working alliance will be the most important factor in how successful your therapeutic experience will be - this means that the quality of our connection, a shared agreement about the purpose of therapy, and a mutual understanding about the methods that we will use to achieve that purpose are paramount.

I frequently work with clients to help them understand more deeply the purpose/function of compulsive behaviors involving food, exercise, and/or substances so that they can gradually, and with compassion, make desired changes in these behaviors and in relationship to self. I frequently work with adult survivors of childhood trauma (who may have C-PTSD or PTSD) with the aim of helping them to feel calmer in the body, increase self-trust, reduce the intrusive impact of the past on the present, develop a kinder inner voice, and increase the capacity for joy, play, and hope. In general, I am goal-oriented and patient, relatable and professional—balancing evidence-based interventions with an organic, respectful, and creative approach.

Clinical Specialties and Training: I specialize in treating individuals with eating disorders, substance use disorders, and PTSD. I also have experience helping people heal from depression and anxiety; working through issues related to LGBTQIA identity development; and navigating relationship concerns, career issues, and stress related to transitions and balancing multiple life roles. I have been trained in and integrate a range of therapeutic orientations, including insight-oriented, dialectical behavioral, experiential, and emotion-focused approaches. I’ve completed intensive training in Sensorimotor Psychotherapy, which gently and brilliantly helps to harness the wisdom of the body in the healing process. For some clients who are working through symptoms of post-traumatic stress, I integrate Attachment-Focused EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing) into the work.

I received my Ph.D. in Counseling Psychology from Auburn University’s APA accredited program, my Master of Public Health degree from the University of Georgia's College of Public Health, and my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from Erskine College. I completed my pre-doctoral and post-doctoral clinical training experiences at several different university counseling centers, and I have experience with culturally diverse clients ranging in age from late adolescence through late adulthood.

In addition to providing psychological services, I have experience implementing substance misuse prevention, intervention, and collegiate recovery programs in university settings; conducting research, teaching multiple collegiate courses, writing, and consulting with competitive university student-athletes, teams, and D-1 athletic departments. I have co-authored a book about group therapy in school settings (Group Work In Schools, 2013), as well as peer-reviewed articles about substance use and eating disorders. I have presented research at national conferences and led workshops for a variety of audiences about wellness, women's issues, eating disorders, substance use disorders, mindfulness and athletic performance, and secondary/vicarious trauma among helping professionals. My interest in lifelong learning and professional development motivates me to stay current with regard to research and evidence-based practice. This, in turn, enhances my clinical work.