About Me

I am a licensed clinical social worker who is passionate about working with children, adolescents, and young adults diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder and intellectual disabilities.  I started my practice after working as a counselor with the District of Columbia's Child and Family Services Agency serving children and adolescents with complex developmental diagnoses.  I knew I wanted to create a safe, healing place for young people with developmental diagnoses to find a voice to express themselves and be heard as the individuals they were.  Shortly after entering private practice, I began to notice that many individuals I was working with were expressing a strong interest in one area above all others: dating and relationships.  Such a need really spoke to me as one that does not gain anywhere near the amount of attention it deserves, especially in our world of today where so much of the focus on mental health treatment is on supporting the individual to be the person they see themselves as being.  The need to give love and receive love, along with the need to be a successful social being, is critical for those seeking to complete that piece of themselves through finding a meaningful, loving relationship relationship.  It is also a need that can be so very difficult for those with developmental diagnoses to fulfill and one that many of us do not think of as being relevant to their lives.  Inspiring these individuals to achieve their goal of finding that special relationship, while also providing education to broaden understanding became, for me, an area where I knew I could make a difference, one which has become a key focus of my practice.
Since the topic of dating and relationships is so broad, involving not just the individual, but their support systems as well, my work borrows aspects from my very extensive training in several different forms of therapy.  I combine more expressive, non-verbal focused therapy techniques from therapies such as play therapy, sand tray, and theraplay, with a strengths-based focus on the individual discovering how they best communicate and express themselves.  I add components of cognitive behavioral therapy to give the individual a means for controlling their anxieties and fears around the dating and relationship process so they can successfully meet their goals.  Throughout this process of self-familiarization and learning self-love, I am also incorporating aspects of several behavioral models such as "Unstuck and on Target" and teachings from PEERS (Program for the Education and Enrichment of Relational Skills) to help enrich their social skills so they can successfully manage the actual social behaviors used in dating.  Lastly, by providing education about safety, understanding the steps of forming a healthy relationship, and exploring what they are looking for in a relationship, I help them put all of their work together to create a plan for success.
When visiting my website, you may have noticed a statement saying “Let’s Work Together”. This simple statement reflects my strengths-based approach to this work. Dating and relationships for individuals with developmental diagnoses is not just about the individual finding happiness, it is also about their family and support systems having an intimate understanding of their family member's goal and a plan to get there.  To be effective, I believe this work needs to be practical for the client, consistent, and definitely involving their support system. As parents, you are experts on your children and are also their sounding boards and their helpers in planning and doing.  You provide safety.  Being involved in the education and planning process of relationship therapy is critical because you provide the reality of how relationships are formed and work.  I rely on your involvement as a key tool for success in therapy.

Furthering my commitment to increasing awareness about dating and relationships in this population, I am currently involved with several local organizations supporting their efforts to increase awareness of individuals with developmental diagnoses needs for strong emotional and social support in the community. I facilitate several weekly social skills group for young men with developmental disabilities through Potomac Community Resources.  In addition, I give presentations to parents and support organizations in the community about dating and relationship skills for individuals with developmental diagnoses.  The world of dating and relationships is big and complex, but it does not have to be such a challenge for our young people as it has been.  Let's do this together!