My Story

In 2008, I took the inaugural autism seminar offered through the child and adolescent mental health studies program at NYU. In our class, we had a volunteer placement at the LearningSpring School, a Kindergarten through 8th grade, nonpublic special education setting that is dedicated to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Little did I know that this class and volunteer placement would change the course of my professional life. I loved seeing the world through the varied interests of these students and learned immensely from the wonderful ways the staff at LearningSpring engaged with their students. After volunteering and substitute teaching at LearningSpring, I decided to work there as a teaching assistant after college. I knew that I loved working in schools, especially LearningSpring, but my true calling was to be a psychologist and support children and families throughout the educational process. I received my doctorate in School Psychology at the Graduate School of Applied and Professional Psychology at Rutgers, the State University of New Jersey where my practicum placements and internship primarily focused on ASD.

Throughout my graduate program and postdoctoral fellowship, I studied treatments and programs that worked in both school and hospital settings. With my dissertation chair, Dr. Anne Gregory, I was able to study a revolutionary program, restorative practices, that changed the way in which schools handle discipline issues and build community. When we move away from the status quo with school discipline and attempt to minimize the inequities seen in many urban school settings, wonderful results occur. This research experience drove my focus as a clinician on positive experiences and the resilience in children, teachers, parents, and schools when implementing effective programs and treatments. I am dedicated to restoring the communities in which I work and live. Thus, it is no coincidence that I returned to LearningSpring School in 2017 as a school psychologist. When I am not working in private practice, I am dedicated to providing treatments and programs that work with students and families as part of LearningSprings’s clinical department.

Currently, in my private practice, I specialize in diagnosing and treating children and adolescents with ASD. I received extensive training from autism-specific clinical and research programs at Weill Cornell Medical College and NYU Langone Medical Center. I also received training in many evidence-based treatments for ASD, ADHD, mood disorders, and anxiety. I primarily work with children and their families to improve social skills, decrease problem behaviors, and learn to cope with anxiety. I also work with adults dealing with similar mental health issues. In addition, I provide comprehensive psychological assessments for individuals of all ages. These assessments can help with educational planning and recommendations for treatment or other important services.

I often collaborate with a child's school to put behavioral supports or plans into place so a child can learn and perform at their full potential. Many children with ASD, ADHD, mood disorders, or anxiety receive messages from school or peers that they are not "good students." Let’s change that. I want to work with your family to boost your child's self-esteem and regulate his or her behavior.

Let’s work together so we can reach our full potential.