Treatment for OCRD’s requires us to explore our values and apply them to our daily lives. My values work unofficially began during my undergraduate experience, where I deepened my values of learning and community building—which are two of my strongest values to date.

At Davidson College, I earned a Bachelor’s of Science in Psychology, and spent the entirety of my undergraduate experience honing my passion by participating in community outreach, building campus resources, and presenting research at the collegiate and national levels. At the close of my senior year, I was recognized for my performance and dedication with the Edward L. Palmer Psychology Award, a prestigious award given to one student per year by faculty in the psychology department

My college experience provided me the opportunity to work directly with my professors and peers to further clinical understanding through hands-on research both in the lab and within the community. In the Cognitive Psychology Lab, I worked with Dr. Munger and my peers to deepen the understanding of the relationship between human psychology and eye-movement, exploring the relationship between unconscious focus on visual stimuli that impacts our immediate emotional experience. My second experience working directly in a lab setting was under Dr. Smith in the Behavioral Pharmacology Lab. In this role, I was both a teacher’s assistant, where I assisted my peers through their in class labs and data collection, and a lab assistant, wherein I collected independent data and presented research twice at Davidson’s Alenda Lux Symposium. The culmination of our efforts was later published.

I had the opportunity to work with children twice in undergrad. In the Child Development Lab, I worked under Dr. Leyva in her Food For Thought program and administered creative interventions to kindergartener’s in Title I schools in order to boost their understanding of literature and numeracy in English while maintaining their progress in their native languages. This was such a fun project where we used hands-on interventions to keep the kids engaged and build their willingness to learn and play, and it’s where I learned how much I enjoy eclectic and creative approaches. Outside of this project, I interned at a local elementary school to work one on one with children with ASD in integrated classrooms.

Working alongside and volunteering with my peers gave me such valuable insight into my passion for walking alongside people as they navigate their stressors and lives. One way I was able to do this was through working under the National Eating Disorder Association’s (NEDA) The Body Project. In this women-focused group, I volunteered with my peers to lead groups educating women on self-compassion, self-esteem building, and how to cultivate a life that is values focused despite body-image related struggles.

The second way that I was able to work alongside my peers was as a peer academic coach. Akin to tutoring, peer academic coaches worked with students to help them achieve and maintain their academic goals. We used elective approaches to cater to student’s individual needs for success. This is where I truly learned that even if we have a ‘one size fits most’ formula, we still need to pay close attention and fit it around the student, and not fit the student into an unobtainable mold.

I knew by my sophomore year in undergrad that I wanted to work directly with people in the mental health setting, and this led me to pursue my Masters in Clinical Mental Health Counseling through Northwestern University in 2019. As a graduate student, I worked under Dr. Costello and together we published an article on mindfulness based stress reduction and art interventions. While not directly related to my current clinical focus, having a background in art and MBSR allows me an even greater breadth of treatment options for each client that comes to work with me.

I began my career in counseling learning the ropes of OCD treatment so that I could truly dedicate myself to specializing my work within this community, and took special interest in working with more stigmatized OCD themes (Pedophilia, Incest, Sexual Aggression, Suicide, Harm) and the feeling of shame that isolates people from seeking help. One of my lifelong OCD themes has been harm, and I can personally attest to the isolation, confusion, and shame that comes from experiencing intrusive thoughts and images. I didn’t have the resources as a child that I do as an adult, and it is my mission now that people with taboo OCD themes are able to safely seek treatment and trade in the short-term relief of compulsions to the long-term satisfaction of life in OCD Recovery.

OCD responds best to ERP and ACT, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t room for eclectic approaches: I enjoy incorporating bibliotherapy (reading resources), art interventions, and cradling all of these in a trauma-informed approach so that my patients feel supported and safe in a non-judgmental, healing environment. Having completed both my practicum and internship at Clearview OCD Counseling, you can rest assured that from the very beginning, I have been dedicated to specializing in OCD Recovery using efficacious, empirically based approaches.

Advocacy Efforts: I am an active participant in the International OCD Foundation, and regularly volunteer my time participating in live streams, town halls, conferences, and lead an IOCDF SIG (outlined above). I also have volunteered my time giving talks through both OCD Rhode Island (OCDRI) and OCD Massachusetts (OCDMA). Looking to get involved in grassroots efforts or connect with the OCD community? I’m your gal!

You can read more about my talks and publications on my Media and Public Speaking Engagements tab.

ACT: Acceptance and Commitment Therapy has been integral in my own OCD recovery journey; my favorite part about ACT is that it encourages us to do just that: act on what is important to us! I begin treatment using a combination of ACT and psychoeducation. It’s important to me as your provider that I create groundwork that encourages you not only to begin exploring your own values, but arms you with the education of how to identify OCD in all its forms: whether it be your current theme, a theme from your past, or something brand new. ACT encourages us to explore what we want our lives to look like, and then it gives us tools to make that idea a reality. Through the use of metaphor, ACT teaches us novel ways to interpret our internal signals and external stimuli, and gives that chance to move out from under anxiety (or other deeply uncomfortable emotions) and into a state of openness, willingness, and curiosity.

ERP: Exposure and Response Prevention (or, Exposure Therapy) has long been touted as the gold standard of OCD treatment, according to the IOCDF, and for good reason: the vast majority of people who engage in ERP for their OCD achieve symptom remission. ERP can take many forms, and I tailor each ERP treatment plan to your specific needs. No two treatment plans, even for the same theme, are ever alike. I like to take the approach that YOU are in the driver’s seat, and I am in the passenger seat: you control how fast we go and where we take it, and my job is to point everything out along the way and cheer you on. My own ERP has taken many forms and has evolved throughout the years, so I’m prepared to continuously cater your ERP experience to your current needs.

CBT: I do not treat OCD with CBT because of the data supporting that CBT is contraindicated for OCD recovery. However, I do treat general life stressors, some anxiety conditions, life transitions, and aging with CBT.

Bibliotherapy: There is nothing that I love more than information, and I love sharing resources with clients for them to use outside of the therapy space. I believe that psychoeducation (knowing information about your condition) is an important aspect of OCD recovery: it arms clients with the knowledge they need to identify intrusive thought spirals and engage in valued behaviors over compulsions. Occasionally, we review book chapters and workbook pages as part of the treatment process, and learn skills that encourage clients to engage in ERP and their values.