In the early 1970s I trained in facilitating encounter and psychodrama groups. I then directed a drug rehabilitation program, a crisis hotline and worked as a recreational therapist at a psychiatric hospital. After receiving my B.S. and M.S.W. degrees from Columbia University in 1979, I continued my personal and professional journey with the following training:
- Over 35 years of experience in Meditation, Guided Visualization Techniques, Dreams and Inner Child Work
- 17 years of training in Body Centered Gestalt Therapy with Stuart Alpert, ACSW, D.Psy., founder and co-director of the Hartford Family Institute
- A three-year Jungian and five-year Freudian analyses during the 1980s
- Nine Years of Core Energetics and Pathwork Process training
- Graduate of the Satir Institute of the Southeast
- Certified Grief Counselor and Myers-Briggs Type Indicator Facilitator
- Advanced training in Developmental Needs Meeting Strategies
- Two years of training in couples, family and group psychotherapy at the JBFCS Institute in New York City
- Volunteer work includes 4 years of facilitating an Aids psychotherapy group; leading grief support groups as well as groups for teenagers, drug and alcohol abusers, and victims of sexual abuse
- Couples training with Harville Hendrix and a Certification in leading workshops for Gottman’s “Seven Principles for Making Marriage Work”
- Many years of other trainings and supervision in working with couples for over 30 years
I have led many workshops and training groups for therapists and other helping professionals in addition to numerous public speaking engagements.
On a more personal note I was born and raised in New York City and the dysfunctionality in my family led me to some serious acting-out behavior as a teenager and young adult. When I had reached an intolerable level of misery I sought out psychological as well as spiritual answers to make sense of my life. Fortunately, I found both. After being in personal therapy for a number of years I decided I wanted to help other people more than any other career calling and so I went back to school to become a therapist and the rest is history.
I moved to the Triangle area in 1999 and have found the home that I always longed for. After living in Chapel Hill and Durham for the past 22 years I moved 20 miles away to Saxapahaw and live in a very old house on the Haw River. Nature is feeding my Soul. I am grateful to my many wonderful friends, acquaintances and of course clients whom I have met since moving here from NYC. While I travel less than in previous years I continue to go on spiritual retreats 2 to 3 times each year.
For the past 12 years my adorable mixed bulldog, Winston, has assisted me in conducting sessions with individuals and couples. I believe he helps clients to relax and be more vulnerable which aids in the healing process. For those clients who prefer no dog contact he is also happy to just lay at my feet.