My Background

I went into health psychology and specifically pain psychology out of a genuine belief that pain and illness can have a huge impact on the whole person (not just the body).  I grew up in a family surrounded by pain and illness; my mother, sister, and myself all experienced chronic medical conditions with varying degrees of chronic pain.  Growing up in this environment, I learned several things about pain and illness that I apply to my work with others every day. 

1. Everyone experiences pain a little differently. Even two people with the same diagnosis may have very different day-to-day experiences. What works for one person, may not work for another.

2. Everyone deals with pain and illness differently.  Some people can take the pain in stride without it impacting their life except in small ways.  Other people have a harder time because the pain, or fatigue, or shortness of breath (or whatever it is for you) has impacted all aspects of their life and their sense of self.  You may even ping pong back and forth between those extremes depending on the day.  No one way is right or wrong; they are all hard in their own way.

3. There is a great deal of misunderstanding about pain and illness and not enough quality support for people who are going through it day after day. One of the greatest frustrations in dealing with pain and illness (especially an invisible illness) is that “people just don’t get it” and it can feel exhausting trying to make others understand. This is is true for therapists, too- not all all therapists understand the impact of living with chronic pain or illness.

This is exactly why I became a clinical health psychologist. 

My Approach to Therapy

My ultimate goal is to help you re-engage in life again and to help your restore some of the parts of your life that pain or illness may have taken away from you. I believe that the combination of my personal and professional experiences allow me to bring a rare perspective to therapy.  My approach is warm, compassionate, and encouraging. I like to say that my personal experiences are what fuels my genuine passion and commitment to helping people cope with what their bodies throw at them, but I will never assume that I understand everything you’re going through based on my experience alone.  I believe in taking the time to get to know your unique experience with pain or illness and how it has impacted your life; I recognize that this may be very different from someone else’s experience and that’s perfectly ok.  We will work together to help you lean techniques and develop strategies to help you do more of the things that give your life meaning and makes you feel like YOU again.

Areas of Expertise

• Chronic pain

• Chronic Illness Management/Coping with Chronic Illness

• Insomnia and other sleep problems

What to Expect

In every therapist-client relationship I start with a thorough intake assessment or “getting to know you” session.  This helps both of us to determine your individualized goals for therapy and your life and make a plan for how we are going to achieve those goals.  I provide scientifically-backed (evidence-based) therapies for chronic pain and illness with an emphasis on the modalities of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT).  Both of these approaches have a large research base to support their effectiveness; however, that does not mean that I take a one-size fits all approach to therapy. When you work with me, we are here to focus on you, your life, your needs, your challenges.  I use the scientifically-based tools combined with knowledge I’ve gained from hundreds of people with pain and illness to inform my approach to treatment, but everything we do will be tailored to your experience to help you live the best life possible even with pain or illness. 

Evidence-Based Approaches

I pride myself on using a combination of compassion, empathy, and scientifically backed strategies to create the changes you want to see in your life. I use the following approaches in my work:

• Cognitive -Behavioral Therapy for Chronic Pain (CBT-CP)

• Acceptance and Commitment Therapy for Chronic Pain (ACT)

  • Both CBT and ACT can also be applied to coping with other types of illness including cardiovascular disease, diabetes, cancer, IBS, autoimmune disorders, and more.

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Insomnia (CBT-I)

  • CBT-I can be incorporated into treatment for other conditions like pain, cancer, or other chronic illnesses, or on its own for primary insomnia.