About Me

AFFILIATIONS

I am the Director of The Addictions Institute San Francisco and an Associate with its Menlo Park site.  The Addictions Institute is a long-time leader in the treatment of addiction for those concerned with their own or someone else’s use as well as those in recovery. In 2019, The Institute expanded its reach to San Francisco and the North Bay. For more information, visit: https://addictions-institute.com/

Member of the Women's Association for Addiction Treatment, The Northern California Group Psychotherapy Society and the National Association of Social Workers.

I received my Master of Social Work degree from Adelphi University and am a Licensed Clinical Social Worker in California and New York.

BACKGROUND

My professional experience has allowed me to study, apply, and guide others in the best practices of addiction treatment and recovery for over twenty-five years.

Specialized Training

I believe in providing the most mindful and effective care that I can. To do so, I have trained in specialized areas of therapy including psychodrama training through the Psychodrama Institute at Caron Center New York as well as in trauma recovery, dreamwork, art therapy, Buddhist psychology and somatic therapy techniques. In addition, I completed a year-long intensive training for certification as a Credentialed Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Counselor and have volunteered with Hazelden Betty Ford’s Children's Program.

Clinical Care

Through the years, I have worked with addicted individuals, their partners, couples struggling with substances, recovering parents, parents of teens and young adults, adult children, children & teens of alcoholics and grandchildren & grandparents of addiction. Beyond psychotherapy, I have provided assessments in public schools, facilitated family systems interventions, offered case management care and supervised numerous therapists, addiction counselors and treatment staff.

leadership

I have had the privilege of serving in various addiction treatment leadership roles. Highlights of this are as Board Member at Women's Recovery Association Burlingame, Senior Advisor at the Center for Addiction & The Family at Phoenix House New York, Program & Clinical Director at The Children's Place Program Redwood City and Mental Health Supervisor at Edgewood Center’s Kinship Care Program San Francisco.

Teaching & Training

I am committed to sharing my knowledge and experience with others. From training California state prison staff with a fatherhood curriculum and writing family recovery videos for NYC Family Court to lecturing on children & addiction at Stanford Medical School, JFK University and numerous Bay Area colleges, I have continued to respond to the needs of the field. I support the next generation of therapists and helpers through current clinical trainings and individual and group consultations.