I specialize in helping young children and their caregivers improve functioning and well-being through play-based therapies. Working with parents and other family members is a key part of supporting healthy growth and development. In other words, all therapy for young children is family therapy.

I've been a social worker licensed in the state of New York for more than twenty years. In 1997, I graduated from Brown University with a bachelor’s degree in Sociology and, after two years in the teaching service corps Teach for America, I went on to graduate school at Stony Brook University’s School of Social Welfare. There, I completed my Master’s in Social Work (MSW) in 2003 and PhD in Social Welfare in 2008. In 2017, I completed a Post-Master’s Certificate in Child and Family Therapy at NYU.

I am a lifelong learner. Currently, I'm taking a post-graduate certificate course in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, to gain even greater knowledge and skills in supporting young children and their caregivers. 

When I'm not working with "the littles," I do forensic consulting and advocate for reforms in the criminal justice system.

Media Appearances and Featured Publications

• Opinion Guest Essay: The U.S. Must Invest in the People Who Care for Children’s Mental Health, The New York Times, September 9, 2022
• 'Daniel's Law' supported at Manhasset rally seeking change in police response to mental health crises' Newsday, October 2, 2023
• Children’s Experiences with School Lockdown Drills: A Pilot Study  Children & Schools, July 2021
• Parental mental health literacy and stigmatizing beliefs Social Work in Mental Health, May 2021