This is a second career for me, spending the first 20 years of my working life in the fashion business. After I had my children, I went back to school to receive my masters in social work, and it’s now 16 years that I’ve been working as a therapist. Having had my own experience with infertility, I knew that I wanted to devote part of my practice to women’s reproductive mental health. Working with individuals, couples and facilitating groups, I am a Certified Internal Family Systems (IFS) therapist and have been a program assistant for numerous trainings of this modality. My therapeutic lens is always informed by this compassionate way of working with clients. Areas that clients work with me include, but are not limited to, anxiety and depression, relationship issues, life transitions, trauma, communication, identity and/or self esteem. I am trained in transgender counseling through WPATH (World Professional Association For Transgender Health) with a particular interest in family building options for transgender individuals and couples.
For 11 years, while working in my private practice, I was also an in-house mental health therapist for one of the largest reproductive endocrinologist practices on the East Coast, Reproductive Medicine Associates of New Jersey. I provided egg, sperm, and embryo recipient psychoeducational consults, consult for intended parents who choose a gestational carrier to carry their pregnancy, as well as psychosocial assessments of oocyte donors and gestational carriers. I have worked with agencies all over the country and continue to do these consults and assessments.
After spending my whole life in the Northeast, I have recently relocated in 2016 to Miami Beach, Florida. While I may miss the seasonal changes, (I love Spring and Fall), I definitely will not miss shoveling snow!
Licensure
LCSW – New Jersey Lic. #44SC05238400 Florida Lic. #SW12703
Professional Memberships
National Association of Social Workers
Professional Member of Resolve
American Society of Reproductive Medicine, Mental Health Professional Group
Research Study
Mechanick Braverman, A., Galen, B., Taylor, D. Scott, R. 2006. Ovum donor Recipients Preferences for Donor Characteristics and the Medical Team’s Influence.