CREDENTIALS:

BFA Dance, The Julliard School, 1986

Professional Dancer and Choreographer: 1986-1999

MA Counseling Psychology, Pacifica Graduate Institute, 1999

Psychology Intern at Goldwater Memorial Hospital: 1998-1999

Certified Hellerwork Practitioner, 1990-2009

Advanced Bodywork Training: Institute of Structural Medicine 2000-2003

Cranial Sacral Training: Levels 1 and 2, Upledger Institute, 1991-1993

Hellerwork Trainer: 2000-2008

Faculty of the Institute of Structural Medicine: 2000-2006

Director of the White Street Center for Movement & Bodywork: 1988-2003

President of the Tween Scene, LLC: 2008-present

Private Practice: 1990 –present

Recent Presentations:
Kick the Clique, Create Community:  Killingworth Middle School (2010)

Why Do Women Gather? Killingworth Women’s organization, (2009)

Passion In Action: techniques for combining dialogue, movement, and bodywork:  International Association of Structural Integration, Boston, MA (2008)

LaLa Libido: addressing sex in midlife: Women’s Health Conference, Westbrook, CT (2007, 2008, 2009)

The Pelvis Explored: International Association of Structural Integration, Las Vegas, (2006)

PERSONAL STATEMENT:

Human behavior and people’s stories have always fascinated me and movement has been a central part of my life. From private exercise to deep meditative practices, the investigation of the mind/body interface has been the through line of my work. This interest in both psyche and soma lead me to study dance, and become a choreographer, Hellerwork practitioner, Hellerwork trainer, therapist, and group leader.

My practice began over twenty years ago with Hellerwork. This bodywork system helps people release tension, improve posture, and understand their mind/body relationship. My practice focused on people suffering from severe chronic pain and trauma. These client’s stories and struggles inspired my graduate studies in Depth Psychology. With greater counseling tools I helped these clients uncover unknown issues and heal chronic pain patterns from the inside out.

My graduate program emphasized the importance of marriage and family systems and my internship at Goldwater memorial hospital focused on groups. These studies broadened the scope of my practice to include couples and groups. I found that applying body awareness and systems thinking in these contexts brings people into the present and increases self awareness. Clients gain self acceptance, compassion for others, personal insights, and communication skills as they learn to identify and share their feelings in the moment.
When I became a mother women’s health, pregnancy, post partum depression, body image, and sexuality became a large part of my practice and I began to study these issues. I began speaking about the relationship between sexuality and health and co-leading groups for women. I also brought this combination of body awareness, creative exploration, and psychological investigation to tween age girls. Together with Macdara MacColl, I began Tween Tribe, which is an after school group that teaches social and emotional education through art, discussion, and story telling. 

At this point I treat individuals, couples, and family dyads with a variety of issues and have an expertise in tweens, teens, sexuality, chronic pain, and trauma.  I love hearing peoples stories, helping them problem-solve and teaching people to use their body as resource. I view my role as a witness, guide, teacher, and collaborator and consider myself very lucky to share people’s journey of self-discovery and transformation.

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