Therapy in Stamford, CT and Online Across CT and NY
To help you cope, heal, grow, thrive.
Adolescent, adult and geriatric mental health care.
You’ve been Managing on your own as best you can.
You’re thinking about a new direction with professional therapeutic help: to gain clarity, overcome what’s in your way, feel better and live your life genuinely, not just get by.
LET’S HAVE A CONVERSATION.
I provide therapy for people facing …
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When everything feels heavy, even the simplest tasks can seem impossible. You might find yourself caught in a cycle of self-doubt and sadness, struggling to find the motivation to take care of yourself the way you wish you could. Sleeping and eating are hard to regulate—you may turn to these to try to feel better, but you wind up feeling worse. You may struggle with focus, initiating or completing tasks, and finding enjoyment in activities that once brought you pleasure. You want to get back to feeling like yourself.
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You never really get a quiet moment because the worries in your mind are so loud. Thoughts about what could go wrong with your health, your family, your success in school or your job, or your finances seem to pop up uninvited, and sometimes they take over, making it feel like your fears are running your life. You may have had a panic attack and you carry worry about another happening, which is often as debilitating as the panic itself. Or you find yourself easily frustrated, irritable, leading to others criticizing you. You want to be able to calm yourself down.
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When relationships seem one-sided or like you’re always misunderstood, it can leave you feeling worn down and unheard. You might find yourself wondering if you’re giving too much and getting too little, or struggling to find ways to communicate that are actually effective. You may experience others placing unrealistic expectations on you, trying to control you, being absent emotionally, not considering your feelings. A relationship may have been lost, leaving you with grief, guilt, loneliness, anger. You may feel ill-equipped to cope solo - as an individual, parent, or spouse. You want to strengthen your sense of self and your wellbeing.
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When everything feels heavy, even the simplest tasks can seem impossible. You might find yourself caught in a cycle of self-doubt and sadness, questioning your purpose and struggling to find the energy to take care of yourself the way you wish you could. Sleeping and eating are hard to regulate—you may turn to these to try to feel better, but you wind up feeling worse. You may struggle with focus, initiating or completing tasks, and finding enjoyment in activities that once brought you pleasure. You want to get back to feeling like yourself.
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You never really get a quiet moment because the worries in your mind are so loud. Thoughts about what could go wrong with your health, your family, your success in school or your job, or your finances seem to pop up uninvited, and sometimes they take over, making it feel like your fears are running your life. Avoiding these feelings might seem like the only option, but it often leaves you feeling frustrated or defeated. You may have had a panic attack and you carry the fear of another happening, which is almost as debilitating as the panic itself. Or you find yourself easily irritated and then incurring negative reactions from others. It’s sometimes hard to regulate emotions that can erupt quickly. You want to be able to calm yourself down.
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When relationships seem one-sided or like you’re always misunderstood, it can leave you feeling worn down and unheard. You might find yourself wondering if you’re giving too much and getting too little, or struggling to find ways to communicate that are actually effective. You may experience others placing unrealistic expectations on you, trying to control you, being absent emotionally, not considering your feelings. A relationship may have been severed and you find yourself resentful, sad, guilty, alone. Bonds with others are important to you but you're unsure how to deal with them - how to strengthen them or let them go. You may feel not equipped to cope solo - as an individual, parent, or spouse. You want to regain your strengths as an independent person and/or as a partner.
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Life can feel unpredictable when you experience fluctuating moods. You might be energized and motivated some days, followed by periods when you feel at very low ebb. You wonder if therapy can help you manage your moods so that you can function at your best consistently.
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Significant life changes can make it feel like the ground has shifted beneath you. The weight of a partner’s absence, embarking on a new personal or professional path, a health concern or traumatic experience can tax your ability to cope. Therapy can help you make sense of what has happened, work through the full range of your responses, and manage the changes you face with practical and positive strategies.
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Mental health care can become fragmented when individuals are receiving services from multiple providers who may not communicate with one another or have divergent goals. I provide psychotherapy as well as medication evaluation and management, offering comprehensive care “under one roof” for individuals seeking both types of services. Whether I provide just your medication, or therapy, or both, I will coordinate with others helping you. I see myself as an advocate for you to receive cohesive and collaborative mental health treatment..
My approach
Therapy is offered within a flexible and supportive framework attuned to your needs and objectives - with consideration for the timing and process that feels right to you.
When you first reach out,
we’ll have an opportunity to talk about what has occurred that has led to your call and what you are seeking in therapy. The first call is a complimentary consultation, usually 15-30 minutes. For therapy appointments, I offer in-person sessions at my office in Stamford, CT, and online telehealth sessions, to residents of both CT and NY. If we decide to work together, you’ll be able to choose whichever format (including a hybrid of both) works best for you. I also offer at-home appointments as needed for seniors. I’ll invite you to ask questions about my practice and how I can help you. We'll begin to assess if the mental health care I offer is in sync with you, what you’re looking for, and your comfort.
First calls are important and I don’t rush them.
As we move forward,
I’ll be attentive not only to your mental health but also to your physical health, since the two are deeply connected.
Each session, we’ll check in on how you’re sleeping, eating, your physical activity, how you relax, and what you do for enjoyment. In addition to carefully chosen therapeutic interventions tailored to your needs, I will also offer guidance to support complementary lifestyle interventions, with the goal of helping you feel better overall.
Tracking your progress will help us adjust our approach as needed to align with your goals. I offer sensitive encouragement to help individuals take an active role in their therapy. I will open avenues for your questions and I welcome your reactions to the therapy process itself. Our work should never be static, but instead always relevant and attuned to what you bring to each session.
My Methods
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This approach helps us explore patterns in your relationships, emotions, and behaviors, appreciating how your past experiences can carry forward in your present. It’s a chance to dig deeper into what’s beneath the surface, helping you gain understanding about your unique emotional world and how it can mpact how you feel and respond. The goal is to help you grow from this understanding, in support of developing realistic and constructive ways of adapting and relating.
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CBT focuses on understanding how our thoughts and beliefs influence how we feel and act. Together, we can identify and reshape unhelpful thought patterns, by enabling you to challenge unrealistic ideas, automatic reactions, and reflexive feelings. Through awareness of scripts that may replay in your thoughts, and push-button behaviors that get repeatedly triggered, we can construct new ways of thinking and acting that reflect a more balanced perspective, with you in control.
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This form of therapy maintains that individuals can help themselves by looking closely at solutions rather than exclusively examining their problems. The focus is on your individual strengths, setting pragmatic goals that identify what you can change, and helping you chart ways to attain what you seek. SFT emphasizes positivity, resilience and empowerment, guiding individuals to recognize what is already working in their lives and how they can expand on those successes.
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Open-minded receptive listening is one of my most important therapeutic tools. In conjunction with the above methods, I offer myself as a therapist who connects with honesty, depth and empathy. I believe that individuals cope as best as they can with the resources they have. I try to help them expand those resources.
Imagine a life where…
You feel a greater sense of calm and confidence in regulating your emotions. Stress becomes more manageable and you begin to see challenges for what they truly are—opportunities to stretch and strengthen yourself, rather than obstacles that hold you back.
With greater understanding of yourself and those around you, and new tools that support your resilience, you discover abilities to respond in a grounded way. Equipped with clarity and balance, you develop healthier approaches to your responsibilities and relationships. Most importantly, you feel connected to what matters to you and empowered to pursue it with confidence.
In this version of your life, your physical, mental, and emotional health flourish.
You're back in charge.
What is unique about the therapy I offer as a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Nurse Practitioner ?
Your whole health, the full context of your life, and all components of who you are inform my understanding of you and how I refine your therapy.
FAQs
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The time you spend in therapy is very personal and depends on what you want to work on. Some people find relief in a few months of sessions, while others prefer longer-term support. We’ll go at a pace that feels comfortable for you and regularly check in on how we are progressing toward the goals you set. I endeavor to help you use your time in therapy as productively and efficiently as possible.
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No, being open to medication is not a requirement of being in therapy. If I think it might help, I'll talk with you about how and why medication could benefit you. The choice of whether or not to try or continue medication is yours. I see therapy as the foundation of mental health care, and that medication can sometimes be a helpful adjunct to that care. I encourage individuals who are on medication to be in concurrent therapy, however, this again is a personal choice.
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I work with people facing a variety of challenges such as depression, anxiety, grief and loss, mood issues, and life transitions. I support those dealing with career and academic stress, relationship/interpersonal problems, and concerns around aging and senior mental health.
I also offer therapy for individuals coping with sudden or chronic physical health problems, and I work collaboratively with patients’ other care providers to promote optimal coordinated treatment.