Why I Became a Therapist
Growing up in South Brooklyn, I was surrounded by the sounds of Mandarin, Russian, Korean, Cantonese, Yiddish, Italian, Spanish and Arabic; from an early age I was fascinated by other cultures and curious about how they differed from my own. A creative, sensitive and introspective child, I was drawn to the performing arts and spent years studying piano and training pre-professionally in ballet.
While an undergraduate at Columbia University, I chose to study both Psychology and Anthropology, as I felt that the two disciplines were inseparable; I believe that we cannot truly understand a person’s habits, choices, and patterns of thinking unless we understand where they are situated. A series of traumas during this time, including a chance encounter with a steam pipe explosion near Grand Central Station, helped me understand the impact of trauma first-hand and sent me down the path of seeking to understand how to heal it as a result.
I view this work as a vocation and believe in keeping therapy accessible. I thrive when getting to the root of an issue and assisting clients to see themselves and others differently; to me, good therapy is both an art and a science. While my orientation is primarily integrative, I believe that the most powerful component of a therapist and client relationship is goodness of fit. My goal and purpose is to assist in shifting thought patterns that are not helpful and to provide hope and a new outlook to my clients.
As an individual who has always enjoyed learning and deeply values critical thinking, it is important to me that I read and stay up-to-date on research to provide competent, ethical care to my clients; it is extremely important to me that the treatments I provide are grounded in science and history and not just passing fads.
My Background
As a second-generation New York City native, with grandparents born in Argentina, Puerto Rico, and Italy, I possess a unique level of cultural understanding. While I grew up in Brooklyn, most of my childhood summers were spent in rural northwestern Puerto Rico. I have traveled extensively in the North America and internationally, having spent time in Europe, South America, Africa, the Middle East, Asia, Central America and the Caribbean.
Outside of my work as a therapist I enjoy practicing ballet, creating music, experiencing other cultures, experimenting with new recipes, and thrifting.
I speak English, conversational Spanish and basic Italian.