I opened About You Counseling & Coaching, LLC in 2013 when I moved from Boston to Amelia Island to be closer to my family. Born and raised in New Jersey, I graduated from Rutgers University with a Bachelors of Science in Psychology in 1997 and earned a Masters in Clinical Social Work from Columbia University in New York City. Currently, I am a licensed clinical social worker in both Massachusetts and Florida with over 23 years of clinical experience with children and families working with well-known and respected agencies in the Boston Metro West area, providing direct care to individuals, couples, families and groups. I was fortunate enough to have the opportunity to collaborate with several recognized experts who share the same area of specialty, including Dr. Edward Hallowell, a pioneer and celebrated author in the education and treatment of ADD/ADHD and Dr. Ross Greene, author of The Explosive Child and creator of CPS, Collaborate Problem Solving Approach.
My experience with and dedication to treating ADD/ADHD in both children and adults, as well as other childhood behavioral and emotional issues, isn’t just professional; it’s personal: I have ADHD. Untreated and misdiagnosed until I was 30 and entering graduate school, I found myself struggling with and being treated for symptoms of anxiety and depression. In retrospect I realized that those symptoms seemed to develop as a direct result of my untreated ADHD. Having personally experienced many of these symptoms, as well as the hardships that typically occur with them, enables me to better understand their effects from a variety of perspectives and apply that knowledge to the treatment of my clients.
My clients feel that because I live with ADHD, have struggled with it, understand the thoughts and emotions associated with it, and continue to find new strategies to manage and cope with it, gives me an advantage in their treatment. Equally important, I seem to have an ability to connect and develop an alliance with tweens and teens, especially those who are defiant, disrespectful, who feel entitled or are resistant to counseling or coaching. Working with these challenging clients and the families affected by them, is my true passion. My clients have described me as an effective, progressive, hard working, caring, passionate, young at heart, empathetic, accommodating, “think outside the box” kind of therapist.
