About My Training and Background

I specialize in a variety of evidence-based treatments:

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy,
• Other behavioral treatments, e.g., Acceptance and Commitment Therapy
• Behavioral medicine interventions
• Mindfulness based techniques (e.g., meditation, mindful eating, MBCT).

All of these interventions are designed to help clients learn skills such as:

• Relaxation exercises
• Mindfulness
• Self-compassion
• Emotion regulation
• Sleep management
• Problem-solving
• Identifying unhelpful/disruptive thought patterns

I received my doctorate (Ph.D.) in Clinical Psychology from the University of Maine where my research focused on women’s health issues, depression, anxiety, and the relationship between stress and disordered eating behaviors. After graduating, I completed a fellowship in Behavioral Medicine at Harvard Medical School/Cambridge Health Alliance where the focus of my work was helping individuals with complex medical conditions (e.g., cancer, chronic pain, Crohn’s disease, etc.) not only improve their functioning and quality of life, but also reduce disability, mortality, and overall healthcare costs. After completing this advanced training, I worked at Tufts Medical Center‘s medical and surgical weight loss program for several years helping clients live healthier, more fulfilling lives. Then for over a decade, I was the Director of Behavioral Health at a family medicine practice in Arlington (Family Practice Group). There I designed and implemented an integrated behavioral health program where primary care providers and mental health clinicians care for a patient together in a collaborative, team-based manner. While I thoroughly enjoy that work, over time I found a growing desire to go deeper with clients who were ready and invested in the process. This realization lead me to start my own practice, where I can work with clients to create individually tailored treatment plans and have the time to achieve those goals.

In addition to my clinical work, I have always been involved in teaching, research, and training. I am an Assistant Professor of Family Medicine at Tufts University School of Medicine and a Teaching Associate in Psychiatry at Harvard Medical School. I enjoy teaching medical students advanced communication techniques, motivational interviewing, evidenced-based psychological interventions, and integrated care. I am involved in research focused on integrated care interventions, telehealth, quality improvement, and obesity interventions. I often work with medical practices, community groups, businesses, and organizations to individually tailor training to meet their organization’s needs. In the past, I have offered the following trainings:

• Stress management
• Coping during COVID
• Avoiding burnout
• Healthy sleep
• Navigating challenging communications

Professional Associations

APA- American Psychological Association
ABCT- Association for Cognitive and Behavioral Therapies
MPA- Massachusetts Psychological Association

Reach out today to discuss how we can work together to meet your needs.