I entered the field of psychology in 1978 and into a program at The Evergreen State College called Psychological Growth: Verbal and Non-Verbal Approaches. In classes, creative movement was integrated into learning about human development, emotions, conflict, and more.
I’ve dedicated my career to understanding the psychophysical mind/body connection. Wanting more, I continued my studies in the creative arts, dance, and psychology, and attended graduate school in dance movement therapy at New York University. My master’s thesis, studied the increase in group-related movement activity in dance movement therapy sessions.
To further my clinical skills and eventually open a private practrice, I enrolled in the doctoral program in Clinical Psychology at Argosy University-Seattle. My dissertation was on The Effects of Individualized Brief Medical Dance Movement Therapy on Body Image in Women with Breast Cancer.
After a few years establishing my private practice I opened a testing and assessment clinic and also enrolled in a two-year psychoanalytic training program at the Seattle Psychoanalytic Society and Institute and a few years later, was accepted into the National Training Program at the National Institute for the Psychotherapies in New York City, where, in 2023, I became a graduate psychoanalyst.
My work with people in my private practice, and previously in psychiatric hospitals, mental health centers, schools for people with developmental disabilities, nursing homes, assisted living facilities, adult day centers, and other settings, has offered me a wide depth and breadth of experience and exposure to human resilience and human suffering.
Within the past five years, I have also enjoyed being an adjunct instructor at Antioch University in the master’s program in Dance Movement Therapy: Couple and Family Therapy program, where I provided off-site supervision to graduate students. In addition, I am a rotating instructor in Seattle Psychoanalytic Society and Institute’s two-year certificate program: Theory, Process, and Social Applicability of Psychoanalytic Psychotherapy.
Beyond my clinical work, I have actively contributed to public education by volunteering as the Public Education Coordinator for the Wasington State Psychologist Association. In this role, I was also consulted for the following articles featured in The Seattle Times.
- Alone for the holidays — and loving it
- Amid a seeming increase in aggressive driving, here’s how to stay calm on WA roads
- Here are some of Seattle Times readers’ best, most interesting and most heartwarming holiday lights decorations
- How to get back on track with your New Year’s resolutions
- One tool to use: The five stages of permanent change
- Seattle is the No. 1 coffee city! Or wait, are we third? Why we even care
- Thirteen tips for avoiding Thanksgiving stress
- Washingtonians are among the most likely to go over the top with decorations for 2020’s pandemic holiday season. Here’s why.
Education and Training Credentials:
B.A. in Psychology – The Evergreen State College, 1979
M.A. in Dance/Movement Therapy – New York University, 1983
Board-Certified Dance/Movement Therapist, 1983 to present
Licensed Mental Health Counselor, 2001 to 2013
EMDR Training, 2009
Licensed Clinical Psychologist from Argosy University, 2011
Certificate in Psychanalytic Psychotherapy, two-year program, Seattle Psychoanalytic Society and Institute, 2016
Contemporary Psychoanalysis, four-year certificate program, National Institute for the Psychotherapies – National Training Program, 2023