Female Therapists in Belmont, Philadelphia, PA

Hi there! Are you wrestling with questions about your identity, encountering difficulties in your relationships, navigating a transition, and/ or feeling overwhelmed by depression or anxiety? These can be such challenging (and totally normal) things to face and I'm here to support you as you start to tune into yourself in a new, deeper way and move towards healing. Utilizing a trauma-informed and social justice lens, I approach therapy with empathy, active listening, and genuine curiosity. My aim is to assist you in deepening your self-awareness, build confidence, and help you move towards the changes you want in your life.

Are you having difficulty balancing your life's demands? Do you desire to experience freedom and need your hope restored? Are you feeling stuck and can't seem to move forward in your healing process? There is good news because today you are one step closer to a new you. If you're looking for extra support, I look forward to working with you to achieve your goals. I have over 18 years experience as a psychotherapist working with a broad spectrum of clients. Among my areas of expertise are individuals, couples and family therapy, and premarital counseling.

My ideal clients are those who are experiencing difficulties with their relationships and are looking for a compassionate person to validate that what they are experiencing is real and legitimate. I enjoy working with clients who have decided that wherever they are is not where they want to be and today is the day to make change. Therapy is not always easy or fast, but it has the power to shift one from hopeless to joyful for those who are willing to do the hard work.

I specialize in the assessment and treatment of anxiety disorders including social anxiety, panic, OCD, generalized anxiety, specific phobias & separation anxiety. I also see patients who are having difficulties managaing stress in their lives, be it perfectionism at school or in the workplace, difficulties establishing social relationships, or problems balancing work and family. I also enjoy working with women who are experiencing anxiety about pregnancy and new motherhood. I treat children, adolescents and adults. I work to establish a strong rapport with patients such that they feel supported, yet also encouraged to make important changes in their lives.

You want to love and be loved, but something keeps getting in the way. That something is usually fear of being hurt again, fear of failing, and fear of not having the connection you truly desire. That fear is as old as you are, and it stained every attempt at intimacy and a loving relationship. You learned to over-function, to distract yourself, or to be overly accommodating to mask the fear, and no one sees the real you. Until now. You are ready to be seen. This time, you are ready to open yourself to love, but you need practical ways to move past the fear and release the joy and affection that you have to share with a partner.

Because you will be putting a good deal of time, money, and energy into therapy, you should choose a therapist carefully. I believe you should feel comfortable with the therapist you choose, and hopeful about the therapy process. When you feel this way, therapy is more likely to be helpful to you. I have more than 20 years helping people work through grief and loss, life transitions, relationship struggles, career indecision, anxiety and depression. In addition, I have considerable experience helping individuals struggling with issues related to sexual orientation and gender identity.

I can help you feel less anxiety, manage OCD and improve your relationship. I also specialize in couples where one person struggles with anxiety or OCD. I use Cognitive Behavioral Therapy, Exposure and Response Prevention, or mindfulness to reduce these anxiety and OCD and increase calm. For couples I work with the Gottman Method to improve communication and eradicate destructive relationship patterns. From there we rebuild trust and affection.

Making the decision to enter therapy can be stressful. Allow me to join and help you. I believe people are born to thrive. However, there are times our emotional suffering (stress, anger, depression, or anxiety) make us feel stuck. Just like the warning signs on the dashboard, our emotions inform us when there are things in life need our attention. It can be things within ourselves (such as, self-confidence or self-expectations) or things happened to us (such as, trauma or loss). My work is to give attention to where it is needed.

I have experience providing mental health therapy to a variety of populations in therapeutic settings. I have provided therapy to individuals struggling with all types of addiction and addictive/ compulsive behaviors. I have worked extensively with individuals and couples who identify on the GLBTQ spectrum and who were experiencing sexual and gender identity issues. I treated individuals who experienced domestic violence and or sexual trauma. I treated individuals struggling with a variety of sexual health issues and dysfunctions. I have experience providing therapy to people of color who were HIV+, helping them manage issues related to their sexuality, relationships, sexual and gender identity.

I am committed to working with individuals, couples, and family members to better comprehend their inner lives, enrich their connections with others, and feel more satisfied in their personal relationships as well as in workplace settings. My approach is influenced by my teaching and scholarship for over 25 years in understanding communication processes in relationships. I am licensed as a clinical social worker and a marriage and family therapist, and I am also an AASECT-certified sex therapist.

Despite your best intentions and efforts, do you feel stuck in your personal life, intimate relationships, family relationships or workplace? You may be faced with challenges that are deeply rooted in your early life experiences, your primary attachments, in how you view the world, or due to misunderstanding between you and significant others. Challenges can arise during stressful life transitions, such as divorce or death of loved ones. But they can also arise from positive life experiences, such as marriage or the birth of a child. Left untreated, these challenges can grow into chronic problems that can corrode your sense of self and your relationships.

Identifying a need for support and reaching out for help can feel vulnerable. In my practice, I foster a safe and nurturing environment to support your journey of self-exploration and healing. I see myself as a partner in your process. My style is warm and compassionate and I employ an integrative, collaborative and creative approach to therapy. I carefully attend to how our social location in the world and intersecting identities influence individual experience. We will begin by building an authentic relationship and co-creating a direction that fits your individual, therapeutic needs.

I believe all individuals can make meaningful changes that lead to growth and healing. I currently focus on supporting womxn in finding insight, connection, and inner strength to lead the lives they want. I use an eclectic, person-centered approach that prioritizes authenticity, collaboration, and the therapeutic relationship, which is vital to the process of psychotherapy.

We are living in challenging times. Children and parents need support to get through issues such as divorce, loss of a loved one, illness of a family member, school pressures, adolescent conflict, adult children moving back into the home and bullying. Within the context of family therapy, I work with children ages three through the young adult years. I am a trained play therapist and able to help children and adolescents express their feelings and deep emotions. I am able to work, both individually with family members and in family therapy, to support change and growth for the entire family.

I am a clinical psychologist and certified school psychologist who specializes in private school admissions testing, psychoeducational testing to determine the presence of learning disabilities or ADHD, parent counseling, and therapy with children, adolescents, college students, and adults.

The Drexel Psychological Services Center (PSC) is a training facility dedicated to providing high-quality, cutting-edge, affordable psychological services to residents of all ages in the Philadelphia area. Our doctoral student clinicians are expertly-trained and supervised by licensed professionals in Drexel University's Department of Psychology. Assessments are conducted on an individual basis. Therapies may be offered in various formats such as individual, group or family. The format will depend on your needs and the treatment protocols being administered. We strive to be culturally sensitive and value the similarities and differences among all the people we serve.

Welcome! Congratulations on taking the first step on this adventure. I know finding the right therapist can be hard and a grueling process. For many clients this is the first time they have asked for help. I am passionate about creating a space for clients that is safe, freeing & nonjudgmental. I hope to do this through my multicultural background, interest in the client's perspective and the therapeutic relationship built. I operate from a systems & contextual framework where I believe clients are stuck, not sick. I work with clients to create goals and plans that are collaborative and empowering.

Therapy is a unique and personal experience. Whether this is your first time considering therapy, or you are moving into a new phase of your therapeutic journey, therapy is a safe space for self-exploration, growth, and discovery. I work psychodynamically and relationally, within a multicultural framework. I have worked extensively with young adults, adults, and couples in a wide range of settings. My areas of specialty are anxiety, depression, and other mood concerns; grief, loss, and bereavement; life transitions; relationships and family issues; and disordered eating and body image concerns.

I will listen carefully to your description of what is causing you the most stress and we will arrive at a plan together for how to help you. I am well trained in multiple theories and methods for helping people to feel better and act in ways that they prefer to act. I am respectful and empathetic and one of my primary goals is help you to feel hope that you will get through even the hardest experiences. I have seen how much a good therapeutic relationship can help to restore that hope and to expand your options for coping and for changing.