Home: New York, NY. Age: Over 50. Birthplace: Brooklyn, NY. Organization: Private practice. Title: Licensed Clinical Psychologist and Psychotherapist. Alma mater: Binghamton University, State of New York.
Recent professional development: Training in family and divorce mediation. Latest accomplishment: Ran a half marathon. Recent travel or adventure: Travelled with my 19-year-old son to Prague, Vienna, and Budapest. Last book read: The Brief and Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao. Recent unique acquisition: My father’s book collection.
Personality profile: Warm, friendly, curious, perceptive, and quick-witted. Moral compass: Would someone I care about still trust me after this, and could I live with myself? How do you define a perfect friendship? Someone you can laugh with, be fully yourself around, and trust to tell you the truth. What is your greatest joy? Seeing my young adult children find their way in life. What natural talent have you neglected? Writing. How do you relieve stress? Running and/or another vigorous work out.
What was your first paying job? Babysitting. What was your favorite college course? Literature, both the classics and modern fiction. What’s prominently featured on your home or office wall? My husband’s art. What’s the best advice you received growing up? From my father: Never run after a man. Let him come to you; if he’s interested, you’ll know.
What is your big idea?
Real psychological growth happens when we stop organizing our lives around safety and be able to tolerate discomfort.
What change are you working on to effect in your profession or field? Pushing back against oversimplified, diagnostic, and performance-driven approaches to therapy. What widely held belief do you reject? Confusion is a problem to fix.
As a kid, what did you first want to be when you grew up? A doctor. What advice would you give your younger self? Don’t be so anxious about the future; trust that being bright, hardworking, responsible, and good with people will take you far. What day in your life would you choose to re-live? The day my twins were born. What period in your life would you do differently, if you could? The early years of building my practice while raising young kids.
Personal mission: To help people be more honest in a way that leads to clarity, self-respect, and better relationships. Favorite quote: “Out of the crooked timber of humanity, no straight thing was ever made” (Immanuel Kant).
