I am a psychotherapist in private practice in Bethesda, MD, and I offer individual and relationship(s)/couples counseling.  I am a Certified Sex Therapist (CST) through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors and Therapists (AASECT), and a Certified Sex and Couples Therapist (CSCT) through the Integrative Sex Therapy Institute.  I am licensed as a clinical social worker in Maryland, the District of Columbia, Virginia and New Jersey.

As an AASECT Certified Sex Therapist and ISTI Certified Sex and Couples Therapist, I know that life and relationships take a lot of work.  My practice is dedicated to helping individuals, couples and relationship(s) that are in need of support and/or seeking growth and change.  From anxiety and depression to sexual functioning and communication, I can help you and your partner(s) work on bringing authenticity back into your lives.  I have extensive experience working with military (Active Duty/Vets & Spouses), LGBTQ+, kink/poly relationships, HAES®/Intuitive Eating, as well as Ex-pats and International Aid Workers stationed overseas.  I have the background and knowledge to treat individuals and family members with combat-related distress, traumatic brain injuries (TBI) and post-deployment reintegration.  This work has also informed my practice as to understanding the particular needs of foreign service workers both overseas and post-assignment.

In work and life, I am committed to working from a perspective of intersectionality and advocacy for those who have been marginalized by society and the impact of social identities on psychological distress.  For me, this means holding space for people of color (POC), LGBTQ+, as well as those impacted by (as so aptly identified by Emily Nagoski), the “industrial bikini complex”.   One of my core values is cultural humility, and I strive to recognize my own blindspots and implicit biases, so that I can actively participate in social justice and change from within.

Because not everyone fits into a specific box, I consider myself an eclectic therapist, which means that I draw from a number of different theoretical orientations to tailor therapy to the individual, not the the other way around.  Part of our work together will include a full history (relational and sexual), which goes at your pace, and following these discussions, we will create a treatment plan based on what your specific needs are.  This may include bits and pieces of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), some Emotionally Focused Therapy (EFT), Feminist Therapy, Out of Control Sexual Behavior (OCSB); as well as IMAGO techniques, to name a few.  Amongst the many people who have influenced my practice include Emily Nagoski (Come as You Are/Burnout); Tammy Nelson (Getting the Sex You Want); Esther Perel (Rekindling Desire/The State of Affairs); Lindo Bacon (Health at Every Size/Body Respect); Roxanne Gay (Bad Feminist); Sonya Renee Taylor (The Body is Not an Apology); adrienne maree brown (Pleasure Activism: The Poltics of Feeling Good); Dossie Easton & Janet Hardy (Ethical Slut/The Topping Book/The Bottoming Book); Michael Vigorito and Doug Braun Harvey (Treating Out of Control Sexual Behavior: Rethinking Sex Addiction); and David Ley (Ethical Porn for Dicks/The Myth of Sex Addiction), to name a few.

Additionally, I am a committed supporter of the HAES Principles through the Association for Size Diversity and Health (ASDAH), which affirms a holistic definition of health, which cannot be characterized as simply the absence of physical or mental illness, limitation or disease.  Rather, health exists on a continuum that varies with time and circumstance for each individual. Health should be conceived as a resource or capacity available to all regardless of health condition or ability level, and not as an outcome or objective of living. Pursuing health is neither a moral imperative nor an individual obligation, and health status should never be used to judge, oppress, or determine the value of an individual.