My life’s work is to bring to you the possibility of being able to live a full life, in work and relationships.

Let me tell you about myself.

I am a Clinical Psychologist with over 30 years of experience working with people of all ages. In the past I have worked in outpatient, inpatient, and school settings, where I worked with children, through late adulthood.

For the past 20 years, I have been in full-time private practice, where I have seen a variety of clients ages 16 and up, in individual, couples, or family sessions. My typical client is someone who is working to meet the challenges of transition in their lives, such as going to college, getting married, deciding to divorce, changing a career, or losing employment, dealing with the death of a loved one, and unpredictable events in their lives.

I have been fortunate to work with thousands of clients as they navigate these challenges and opportunities.

My training has been mostly within the psychoanalytic-psychotherapy model, including intensive post-doctoral training in psychoanalysis. This model emphasizes looking at yourself and understanding of the issues that keep you stuck in repetitive patterns that although at one time functional no longer desirable to achieve what you are looking for in your relationships. This usually entails a longer term psychotherapy work.

I see continuing education as being extremely valuable. I have recently completed additional training in traumatic studies through the Trauma Research Foundation. I am very excited about the work that has been done on the interplay of the body and the mind in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and traumatic effects. I integrate mindfulness and I encourage other methods of healing using the body to advance their work by participating in yoga, martial arts, dance, or walks in nature.

I am eclectic in my approach, borrowing techniques from cognitive behavior therapy, solution focused therapy, stress management and mindfulness, and internal family systems.

I grew up in Africa, lived in Europe and came to the USA as a teenager. Throughout this journey, I have been exposed to a variety of people and cultures, and I speak Portuguese fluently. My varied life experiences, including living through a time of political and social upheaval and experiencing great losses and traumatic events, has taught me about the power of resilience, the importance of connection with others in times of extreme stress, and the great capacity for love despite all the hurt that can be inflicted upon us. Living through all of that inspired me to be a clinical psychologist in order to help others wo endure suffering.

Having witnessed a great deal of inequality in the education of young women in Africa, I run a nonprofit organization, AWEF.org, that raises money to educate them.

Please check back to this website often. I will be making frequent blog posts that address health and wellness through life’s transitions and other pertinent topics.