And these ups and downs of life are constantly evolving, making it hard for us to use our own childhood experiences as a point of reference.

Being a child or teen, these days includes a lot of pressure and sometimes what may feel like not enough support. Online bullying, social media exposure, marital or family problems, academic stress, peer rejection, loss of close relationships, themes presented on television or video games, and personal or community trauma, among many other risk factors.

You can be an expert on your child, and still need guidance on how to best parent them, based on their temperament and your vision of your family. Every child deserves to be heard; a basic human need is to feel a sense of belonging and connection to others.

As challenging as life can be, therapy can be casual and fun where we use games and story-telling, and other fun activities, meanwhile gently challenging you to overcome challenges and achieve your goals.

My energetic yet gentle style as a therapist truly nurtures the connection with children of all developmental levels, where they feel safe enough to express themselves freely. Through play therapy, I facilitate a child’s ability to “connect the dots” in their life, articulate their feelings/thoughts, and foster healthy relationships with others.

With both children and teens, I realized early on that PARENTS will [almost] always play a critical factor in therapy. Being a teen can be enjoyable and a lot less stressful with a trusted therapist and a safe space to ‘just be’ and ‘find yourself.’ Therefore, I look forward to working with those parents who are struggling to manage daily life activities, find balance (with work/spouses/households and kids, and MUCH more- right?), live with children with challenging behaviors, apply effective discipline strategies, among many more factors that may come with parenting.

It is my goal to help parents become confident with their parenting styles, intentionally connect with their children, and facilitate their child’s development with a thrive, not just survive, mentality.

Discipline can be meaningful, as it helps a child grow with respect, boundaries, and structure. Parents’ guilt can be challenging and I would guide you to let go of negative patterns, to help you become a confident parent and raise a confident child. Every family is different, and your individual intention for parenting and ideal family experiences will be considered throughout the entire therapy process.

Having a safe environment to process different circumstances can be all you need to become a better you. Balancing work, school, social media, family, relationships, etc., can become challenging when you are not feeling your best.

I am a proud Miami native and look forward to providing services to those at all developmental stages (toddlers to older adults, in my community. I have extensive training in the assessment and treatment of children and adolescents. I enjoy working with children, and my work with their families provides a comprehensive approach which lead to positive change. The compassion and understanding I bring to working with adolescents allow for maximum progress during this most challenging developmental stage.  Similarly, working with teenagers, I consider all the pressures of being a teenager- lifestyle, appearance, school, social media, preparing for college, etc.

Through my clinical training, I have also come full circle and enjoy working with older adults. Older adults often face life transitions, loss and grief, and physical/emotional changes that come naturally with aging. Therapy can be a place for processing and learning to love life in every stage.  In this work, I incorporate memory games, music, and reminiscence therapy into our work to make our sessions not only productive but enjoyable.

When I am not working, I spend time with family, play with my mini golden doodle puppy, read, or binge-watch reality TV. I believe strongly in self-care, so I am constantly exploring ways of applying new self-care activities to my life. I also have been a student for most of my life and find joy in learning, so even in my free time, I find ways to squeeze in educational experiences. My professional experiences, in the field of psychology, have helped me find that I thrive off having human connections and helping others to help themselves. I have found a career that truly fulfills me and working closely with other individuals is my life’s purpose.

• Child Sexual and Physical Abuse
• Child Trauma
• Teen Sexual Abuse and Trauma
• Eating Disorders
• Autism/autism assessment
• Anxiety
• Depression
• Parenting challenging behaviors
• Older Adults

• Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT)
• Trauma-Focused Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (TF-CBT)
• Person-Centered Therapy (PCT)
• Family Systems Approach
• Parent- Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT)
• Interpersonal techniques

• B.S. in Psychology from Florida International University (FIU)
• M.S. in Psychology from Nova Southeastern University (NSU)
• Psy.D. in Psychology from Nova Southeastern University (NSU)
• Practicum at Nicklaus Children’s Hospital – Eating Disorders Inpatient and Outpatient Unit
• Practicum at Child and Adolescent Traumatic Stress Program at Nova’s Psychological Services Center
• Practicum at Mailman Segal Center for Human Development- Unicorn Children’s Foundation Clinics
• Clinical Psychology Internship at Miami Dade County Community Actions and Human Services
• Current- Clinical Psychology Post-Doctoral Fellowship at South Miami Psychology Group

To get started, please feel free to reach out to me at (305) 662-2686 to discuss how I can be the guide through your child’s journey of self-discovery and healing.