Twenty-six years of sitting with people at the hardest part.

Thank you for visiting. I've worked in mental health and addiction for over twenty-six years, with individuals and families struggling with depression, anxiety, PTSD and trauma, addiction, stress management, and an overall lack of satisfaction in life.

I believe therapy is a collaborative process where you have the opportunity to engage in self-exploration and resolve some of the obstacles preventing you from achieving complete balance in your life. That word — collaborative — is the part I mean most. I'm not going to sit across from you with a clipboard and a theory about your childhood. We figure out together what's actually in the way.

I empower people to overcome life's challenges and improve their quality of life using evidence-based practices, including cognitive behavioral therapy and trauma-informed care, among others. As a Licensed Clinical Social Worker and Certified Alcohol and Drug Clinician, my work is to assist, inspire and support people in reaching an optimal state of well-being.

What I think I'm good at

Two things, honestly. The first is understanding the problems and needs of the people under my care — really hearing what someone is telling me, including the parts they haven't found words for yet. The second is experience. Twenty-six years means I've seen a great many versions of what you're going through, and I can assess, recommend and build strategies that actually improve people's lives rather than just describing their problems back to them.

Working with both sides of the same story

A lot of clinicians treat mental health and addiction as two different specialties. In my experience they're usually the same person's story told from two angles — the anxiety that the drinking was managing, the trauma underneath the relapse. Being licensed as a clinical social worker and certified in alcohol and drug counselling means you don't have to split yourself between two providers and tell the story twice.

What it's like to work with me

Direct, warm, and practical. I'll tell you what I think. I'll ask you to do things between sessions sometimes. I won't pretend a session went somewhere it didn't, and I'd rather you tell me when something isn't landing — that's useful information, not a failure.

I see teens from about thirteen, adults, couples and families. I work in the office in Kennett Square and by telehealth, and plenty of people do a mix of both depending on the week.

— Jessica