Providing individual, couples, and family therapy to people of all ages and backgrounds in a private practice located in Center City, Philadelphia.  

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Positive Change for Teens and Families was founded as my response to a recognized lack of services in the Delaware Valley specifically tailored to treating the needs of teens, young adults and families. My clinical practice is more than just a job.  It is a privilege and responsibility. Working with adolescents has always been a passion of mine, as the pre-teens to early twenties are a period in life when the skills, habits, ways of relating to one another and personality take shape.  It's a time of hopefulness when the development of a sense of identity, confidence and purpose is built.  I have been lucky to witness many youth use the skills they learn to make healthy choices they can be proud of to ultimately transform their lives. My approach to counseling is based on my belief in the strength people have and can draw from, sometimes in the face of some very difficult circumstances.  With effective guidance and support, I believe in the power of both youth and families to make and sustain positive and lasting changes. 

I received a Master of Social Work degree from the University of Pennsylvania in 1997 and Clinical License in 2006.  During my schooling, I interned at Einstein Hospital’s Psychiatric Emergency Service for Children and Teens. My career path included working four years as a Child Advocate representing abused and neglected children and adolescents in family court to assure that all of their physical, emotional, and educational needs were met.  There, I learned the importance of collaboration with schools, healthcare providers, youth service agencies, hospitals, and families in assuring the optimal coordination and care outcomes for youth.

 

From 2001 to 2014, I worked as a Clinical Social Worker at the Adolescent Care Center at The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia.  There, I provided psychosocial assessment, crisis intervention, individual, partner, sexual health and family counseling to teens, couples and families.  My role at CHOP included supervising Master’s level clinicians working towards professional licensure. My job included studying the efficacy of Attachment-Based Family Therapy with suicidal teens.  A highlight of my career included creating, co-facilitating and publishing a curriculum entitled, “REACH-OUT” a psycho-educational support group for teens living with chronic illness.  This curriculum is also a part of a book entitled, Reaching Teens and Guiding Adolescents, a DVD and training program for medical and counseling providers working with teens. This amazing resource was published in January 2014 and is available for purchase at http://www.aapebooks.com.

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