Evidence-based psychotherapy for digestive and pain conditions
Approach
As a clinical health psychologist, my approach starts with careful listening, a thorough assessment of your symptoms, how they impact your day-to-day life, and your priorities and preferences for therapy. I enjoy working collaboratively to arrive at a set of shared goals for therapy. My aim is to be a caring and supportive partner on the journey.
If you have been struggling with medical symptoms, you may feel demoralized by the limitations of healthcare treatments available, despite medical advances. You may be living with symptoms that others do not understand or see. Many people are surprised to learn that psychotherapy is a science-backed, front-line treatment for a number of medical conditions. Therapy can help you to quiet the brain’s natural threat response to symptoms, foster flexibility and resilience, and re-connect with what makes life full and meaningful.
Degrees and Certifications
BA Psychology, Georgetown University
PhD Clinical Psychology, Arizona State University
Postdoctoral Fellowship in Clinical Health Psychology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Licensed Psychologist in Maryland (#05007)
Licensed to provide telepsychology services in more than 40 states via PSYPACT (APIT Mobility #8441)
Experience
I earned my PhD in clinical psychology from Arizona State University in 2010, after completing a predoctoral internship with the University of Maryland/VA Maryland Healthcare System Psychology Consortium in Baltimore. My postdoctoral fellowship training focused on acute and chronic pain among burn survivors with the Johns Hopkins Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences. I spent the first part of my career in academic medicine within primary care settings. I held faculty appointments in internal medicine with Johns Hopkins Department of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, and in family medicine with Georgetown School of Medicine.
I left full-time academic medicine in 2020 to be able to spend more time at home after my daughter was born. I started my private practice in 2021. I provide evidence-based psychotherapeutic care for patients with chronic pain, gastrointestinal disorders, and autonomic dysfunction, as well as insomnia, health anxiety, and medical trauma. I am committed to providing culturally responsive, trauma-informed, and inclusive care for individuals across the lifespan.
Much of my career has been as a medical educator. I continue to teach seminars and workshops in behavioral medicine with medical students and internal medicine residents at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. I teach patient-centered communication skills and management of common behavioral health issues in primary care. Topics include recognizing and managing depression, helping patients make lifestyle changes to achieve better health, and the importance of cultural humility and cultural responsiveness in patient care.