Achieve Your Dreams

As a Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner, I aim to provide you with a comprehensive, individualized psychiatric evaluation and medication management, with brief psychotherapy services.  My goals of treatment are always the same: to help you find “Happy, Healthy and Functional.” For every individual that journey to Recovery looks different.  Some individuals come to see a Psych NP to consider starting a psychotropic medication, or to change their current medication(s) or to reduce or discontinue “trial off” medications safely during a supportive course of psychotherapy.  

Integration of mental healthcare with your Primary Care or Specialty medical providers is often helpful to attain full and lasting recovery from mental health symptoms. Frequently unknown, underlying, or under-treated physical health conditions mimic, worsen or prevent remission of mental health symptoms like depression, anxiety, irritability, fatigue, insomnia, and poor attention/focus. Common examples include anemia, low Vitamin D, hypothyroidism, obstructive sleep apnea, diabetes, traumatic brain injury, toxin exposures, etc.  To feel your best, you should be both physically and mentally well. 

Since becoming a Psychiatric NP in 2009, my work has concentrated primarily on providing psychiatric services to U.S. military active-duty Service Members, Veterans/Retirees, and their dependents both in the National Capital Region and Tampa Bay area in Florida.  I was trained at Yale University, School of Nursing and Yale Child Study Center, in a both Psychiatry and Psychotherapy services across the lifespan (child, adolescent, adult, and geriatrics) while working as a Registered Nurse (RN) at Yale New Haven Hospital.  With great enthusiasm and respect for the history of Psychiatric Nurses: my first RN job in 2005 was at a closing New York state hospital in its last remaining months and my second RN job was at New York City’s Flagship, Bellevue Hospital Center.  These experiences have made me a compassionate and well-experienced nurse. 

    I am a Licensed Graduate Professional   Counselor (LGPC) in Washington, D.C and a board-certified counselor (NCC). I   have a Bachelor’s in Psychology from University of Washington and a Master’s   in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The George Washington University.

I have experience working with adolescents and   adults in both community-based and college counseling center settings. I   provide individual and group counseling for various topics including mood   disorders, anxiety, sociocultural issues (bicultural/multicultural concerns,   acculturation stress), unprocessed loss and grief, family conflicts, and   interpersonal relationships. I provide career counseling to students and   alumni regarding their concerns in career exploration and personal growth at   Cawley Career Education Center at Georgetown University. I also have   experiences advocating and working with individuals with marginalized   identity, such as international students, immigrants, racial/ethnic and   gender minorities. With my own cross-cultural backgrounds, I stay humble and   curious about learning different cultures and working with diverse   populations. I am fluent in both English and Mandarin.

My counseling style mainly integrates   person-centered, cognitive behavior therapy and multicultural therapy. When   working with different clients and different issues, I also actively   personalize my approaches and incorporate elements or interventions from   various career counseling theories, solution-focused brief therapy,   motivational interviewing and Bowen’s family system theory.

I see myself as a fellow traveler of my   clients, joining the client’s journey towards their own goal. It is a   privilege and I strive to provide culturally competent care and honor my   clients’ unique backgrounds, identities and cultures. I believe in building a   compassionate, non-judgmental and genuine therapeutic relationship with my   clients, so that they can feel respected, heard, and validated. We will   collaboratively identify issues, make plans and take actions for attainable   and practical goals. I often utilize a strength-based approach to empower my   clients to discover the good within them, increase their self-efficacy and   work through life’s challenges. My goal is to create a safe and warm space   conducive to self-exploration, healing, growth, and fulfillment. I believe   that we will eventually let go of who we think we’re supposed to be and   embrace who we really are, living a more prosperous and fully authentic life.

Specialty Areas 

• Anxiety and stress management 
• Mood Disorders (Depression, Dysthymia)
• Acculturation Concerns
• Career Exploration 
• Self-Esteem
• Life Transitions

 
I also have experience with

• Sociocultural Concerns 
• Career Counseling
• Interpersonal Relationship Issues
• Family Conflict
• Academic and Career Stress
• Crisis Intervention

My Approach to therapy

• Person-centered Theory
• Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy 
• Multicultural Approach  
• Solution-Focused Brief Therapy
• Cognitive Information Processing Approach

I work to help clients achieve psychological well-being that allows them to thrive in every aspect of life. I am passionate about promoting my clients ability to identify their goals, achieve those goals, and ultimately create the life they want. I have worked with individuals with various mental illnesses, health, behavior challenges and emotional difficulties. Together, we will work to build upon strengths, while empowering clients to recognize, understand, and adaptively manage lifestyle challenges.

I earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Health Psychology from Virginia State University. Prior to graduate school, I received my bachelor degree from Hampton University, where I majored in psychology with a concentration in relationship and family therapy. I operate within an integrative therapeutic approach, pulling from evidence based approaches including cognitive behavioral therapy, interpersonal therapy, DBT, behavior modification and mindfulness-based strategies. I am supervised by Dr. Stanley.

My areas of specialization include:
Depression
Anxiety
Eating and Feeding Disorders
Interpersonal Issues
Weight loss
Body image
Confidence and self-esteem
Adjustment Disorders
Relationship challenges and Sexuality
Cultural and Racial Stress
LGBTIA+

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in Maryland and a National-Certified Counselor. I obtained my master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling (CACREP accredited) at Johns Hopkins University. I am now pursuing a Ph.D. degree in Counseling and Counselor Education (CACREP accredited) at the University of Rochester. I have worked with adults from diverse cultural backgrounds in both hospital settings and community mental health clinics. I have also provided different levels of mental health services, ranging from inpatient, partial hospitalization, intensive outpatient, to outpatient programs.

I view a counselor as a fellow traveler in their client’s self-discovery journey. I aim to build a supportive, non-judgmental, authentic, and collaborative relationship with my clients. I believe client knows themselves the best and has their authorship and ownership in life. Thus, we will work together to discuss your individual needs and treatment plans. I will also obtain your feedback regularly to make sure the therapy sessions are meeting your needs. 

I believe everyone is unique and each counseling approach has its benefits and limitations. I also pay attention to both emotional and physical health and the connections between them. Therefore, I utilize a client-centered, culturally sensitive, and integrated approach.

Treatment Approach:

Cognitive Behavioral Theories (CBT, DBT, ACT)

Expressive Arts Practices (drawing, writing, music, movement, role play, etc.)

Mind-Body Approaches (meditation, yoga, relaxation techniques, etc.)

Existential Therapy

Emotion-Focused Therapy

Areas of Experience:

Mood Disorders

Eating Disorders

Trauma/PTSD

Addictions

Chronic Medical Conditions

Areas of Specialty:

Anxiety

Depression

Eating/Weight Concerns

Interpersonal Issues

Life Transitions/Life Meanings

*I can provide therapy in English, Cantonese, and Mandarin.

     My approach to treatment is to create change and promote health   and healing through empowerment.   I utilize trauma informed   methods to support patient centered goals, your task development   and your chosen pace of our work.  Encouragement, positive   reinforcement and humor are part of each session.   I will   collaborate with you to help you learn and utilize skills in managing   the challenges you face.  Our focus will be allowing you to improve and   maintain the quality of your life in all areas.  I will honor your   willingness to share and allow me to join you in your journey towards   healing, understanding that each step forward is great progress.

I received my graduate   training for Clinical Psychology at Boston University as well as graduate   training in Leadership from Georgetown University. I have over 20 years   experience in mental health providing individual and group   therapies with adults in several settings. Patient treatments have   included mood disorders, anxiety disorders, severe and persistent mental   health disorders, trauma, substance use, & grief and loss. My theoretical   approach is both cognitive-behavioral and psychodynamic. I utilize various   interventions from those perspectives. Additionally, I have trained many   licensed clinicians and led several clinical programs. 

I am a Licensed Professional Counselor (LPC) in the District of Columbia, and I am certified by the National Board for Certified Counselors. I earned a Master’s degree in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from The George Washington University and also hold a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Management and Psychology, from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in Troy, NY.

My clinical experience includes working with adults with chronic and persistent mental illness in a non-profit and group home setting, as well as providing one on one counseling at a community counseling center. I have worked in private practice since 2014 providing individual therapy to adults of various backgrounds and presenting concerns. Additionally, since 2021, I have provided supervision to Licensed Graduate Professional Counselors (LGPCs) working towards DC licensure. 

My counseling style is a combination of cognitive behavioral therapy and reality therapy, with a person-centered and multicultural approach. I believe that no two people are alike and experience stressors in their own unique ways. Therapy sessions are client directed while I provide guidance, support, techniques, and clinical insight into the client’s experience. My role is to provide a strong therapeutic relationship through empathy, genuineness, and positive regard in order to enable the individual to develop the skills to change and grow.

My specialty areas include:

Anxiety

Depression

Mood Disorders

Life Transitions

Stress Management

LGBTQ issues

Substance Abuse

Career Counseling

Communication Skills

Self-esteem Building

Grief and Loss

Interpersonal & Relationship Issues

I am a graduate of the Pennsylvania State University's Counseling Psychology doctoral program, and I am licensed as a Psychologist in the District of Columbia, Maryland, Virginia, New York and California. At Re-New, I provide Clinical direction and support for all of the staff and provide supervision for the pre-licensed therapists and Psychology Associates.

I provide individual and group therapy to adults (ages 18+). I have experience working with clients in university counseling centers, community mental health centers, public and charter schools, and non-profit/community-based counseling centers.

My specialty areas include:

• Interpersonal Relationship concerns

• Family-of-Origin Relationship concerns

• Women's issues/concerns

• Adjusting to life transitions

• Entrepreneurship

I also have experience with:

• Depression

• Anxiety

• Career-Life balance

•ADHD

• Loss & Grief

• Disordered Eating/Body Image concerns

• Adjustment to college (Academic and Social)

• LGBTQIA+ clients/concerns

• Polyamorous and non-monogamous relationships

• Asexual and Aromantic clients/concerns

My counseling approach is collaborative: I believe that you are the expert of your life and I respect your ability to direct your change. My job is to be a sounding board for you and to use my expertise to help you navigate your transformation. I utilize Family Systems, Cognitive-Behavioral, and Mindfulness theories and practices in my work with clients.

    I am a Licensed Professional Counselor in   Maryland and DC. I have a Bachelor’s in Psychology from the University of   Georgia and a Master’s in Clinical Mental Health Counseling from the George   Washington University.  

I have experience working with clients with   mood disorders (depression, persistent depressive disorder), anxiety,   sociocultural issues (bicultural/multicultural concerns, acculturation   stress), unprocessed loss, and pervasive concerns in academic performance or   interpersonal relationships. I am also fluent in both Mandarin and   English.  

I take an eclectic approach, as I incorporate   elements from Person Centered, Cognitive Theory (CT) and Schema Therapy (ST)   into sessions. I incorporate cultural humility into practice, in which I make   a continuous effort to learn about various cultures and cultural   perspectives, utilize culturally appropriate approaches, and hold a humble   awareness that I will never be able to know all there is about other   cultures.  I also work to personalize treatment to clients’ individual   needs. 

I view counseling as a collaborative process.   First and foremost, I see my primary role is in assisting and providing   unconditional support for my clients as we embark on a journey toward growth,   self-awareness, and healing. While I will assist my clients in identifying,   assessing issues and setting reasonable, practical, achievable goals, I   believe it is ultimately up to the client to implement the plan into action.   In addition, I strive in my practice to create a safe, compassionate,   nonjudgmental, genuine, supportive environment where exploration, growth, and   healing can take place. 

Specialty Areas:

• Anxiety
• Mood Disorders (Depression, Dysthymia)
• Acculturation Concerns
• Self-Worth
• Life Transitions

Other Areas of Experience:

• Sociocultural Concerns
• Emotional Expression
• Interpersonal Relationship Issues
• Academic Stress

 I am a graduate student in the Clinical Mental Health Counseling program at Northwestern University. This master’s program is hybrid: my classes are held remotely, and I live in Washington, DC, where I will complete my clinical practicum and internship under the supervision of Dr. Ryan Schneider. 

Prior to entering the counseling field, I worked in PR and strategic communications for ten years with clients in the arts, architecture, and design. I also have volunteered for five years with a mental health nonprofit that focuses on creating community and reducing stigma around mental health. 

While this marks a career change for me, I will draw on skills I built in my previous career, which include building strong, collaborative relationships with clear communication and utilizing a flexible, client-centered approach.