I am a licensed clinical psychologist in Maryland. I provide both virtual and in-person therapy services to adults (ages 18 and older) through PsychCare Psychological Services (Silver Spring office).
Education
I earned my doctorate (Ph.D.) in clinical psychology from the University of Cincinnati in 2004, and was licensed as a psychologist in Maryland in 2006. My graduate training was focused on feminist and empowerment therapies, relational-cultural therapy, the clinical and social psychology of terms of abuse (identity-related insult words), and sexual orientation and therapist training. My prior education includes a master’s degree (M.A.) in clinical psychology from the University of Cincinnati in 1999, a bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in psychology form the University of Maryland (College Park) in 1995, and a bachelor’s degree (B.A.) in English from the University of Maryland (University College, now known as Global Campus) in 1991. Education is always an ongoing process, so you can see more information about my ongoing educational experiences at the bottom of the page.
Therapy Experience
I have provided individual psychotherapy services as a licensed psychologist on and off since 2006, and also had many years of experience providing therapy prior to licensure (2 years of providing therapy services as a supervised postdoctoral therapist and 8 years of providing therapy services during graduate school). Throughout all of these years of experience, I have specialized in working with marginalized folks. I also particularly enjoy working with people with intersectional identities; for example, LGBTQIAA+ people of color, queer people with disabilities, etc.
Other Professional Experiences
I also bring the knowledge and experience I gained from other types of work into my therapy services.
Teaching
I was a psychology professor (senior lecturer and lecturer) at University of Maryland, Baltimore County from 2013 to 2020. I was also an adjunct professor and lecturer at Montgomery College (Takoma Park campus, 2010 to 2012, 2006 to 2007), Miami University of Ohio (2004), and University of Cincinnati (1996 to 2003). I taught courses in the psychology of sexual orientation and gender identity, clinical psychology, “abnormal” psychology and behavior “pathology” (both courses focused on systems of identifying and working with mental health concerns), psychological assessment, group psychotherapy, research methods in psychology, and lifespan development. I also served as a clinical supervisor in the Psychology Training Clinic at UMBC, teaching and supervising graduate students as they learned to conduct psychological evaluations. During my time at UMBC, I also served on the board of the Women’s Center, and participated in and served as co-chair of the LGBTQ Faculty and Staff Association. My teaching experience and university service continue to inform my therapy work through the depth of knowledge I gained from translating scientific research into language that students could more readily understand, critiquing the ways that the science of psychology has and has not empowered oppressed people, and critiquing the ways that the field of psychology has participated in the oppression of marginalized populations.
Assessment
I provided psychoeducational evaluations (that is, psychological testing for learning disabilities, ADHD, and social-emotional concerns) through multiple practices from 2004 to 2011, and at PsychCare Psychological Services from 2017 to early 2020. I also supervised graduate students at UMBC’s Psychology Training Clinic in conducting psychological assessments from 2015 to 2018. While I no longer perform psychological evaluations, the knowledge and experience I gained from doing so informs my therapeutic work. For example, one of my therapeutic specialties is working with people with ADHD, and my assessment experience provides me with deep understanding and rich resources to help people with ADHD identify coping and compensatory strategies that work for them. I am also able to help clients use psychological evaluation reports to advocate for themselves.
Other Relevant Experience
I worked for the Division of AIDS (National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases, National Institutes of Health) from 1990 to 1993 as a “program specialist” and technical writer. My role was not a significant one in the quest to understand HIV/AIDS – I began as essentially a file and copy clerk, and eventually helped edit speeches and letters for some of the scientists (using my English degree). The most important learning came from the other parts of my experiences there. At the time, activists frequently protested and took over the offices at the Division of AIDS, and it was there that I learned about the crucial interplay between activism and science. These formative experiences taught me that systems of treatment and care must include the full participation and empowerment of marginalized people, or they will replicate systems of oppression (even in their good intentions and desire to “save”). It was also in this work that I started to understand that even members of marginalized groups can replicate oppressive systems when we are trained within the oppressive systems (e.g., the predominantly queer scientists who were working to their full capacities to save the lives of their loved ones could not see the ways that their standards of scientific “rigor” produced harm and disempowerment until ACT UP forced them to see new approaches).
Continuing Education
2021 Trainings Attended/Taken:
- Social Justice as Healing Work (2 hours by Shadeen Francis)
- Tips & Tactics for Talking About Race (2 hours by Ken Hardy)
- The Wheel of Awareness (2 hours by Dan Siegel)
- How to Heal a Sista (2 hours by Shawna Murray-Browne)
- Taming the Amygdala (2 hours by Catherine Pittman)
- Hope for Treatment-Resistant Depression (4 hours by Janina Fisher)
- Psychedelics in Therapy (2 hours by Michael Mithoefer)
- Racial Trauma and the Polyvagal Response (2 hours by Candice Dickens)
- Telemental Health Certificate (9 hours of Engaging in HIPAA Security and Digital Confidentiality as a Mental Health Professional and 8 hours of Practicing Via Telemental Health by Roy Huggins at PersonCentered Tech)