About

**I am thrilled to announce that my book is available on Amazon: Standing Up to OCD Workbook For Kids: 40 Activities to Help Children Stop Unwanted Thoughts, Control Compulsive Behaviors, and Overcome Anxiety.

I am a licensed clinical psychologist who provides empirically-supported treatments for anxiety disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), panic disorder, tic disorders, and body focused repetitive behaviors (e.g. hair pulling, skin picking). I specialize in Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT), which is first and foremost evidenced based and solution focused. It is not a traditional “talk therapy,” where patients play a passive role while the therapist provides analysis. Rather, treatment is present-focused, collaborative, and skills-based.

I’ve enjoyed working in a variety of treatment settings including hospitals, medical schools, inpatient psychiatric facilities, community clinics, and private practice. I’m fortunate to have been trained by expert clinicians at facilities such as The University of Texas Harris County Psychiatric Center and Baylor College of Medicine’s Menninger Clinic. I graduated from The University of Houston, Clinical Psychology Doctoral Program and completed my residency in Clinical Psychology at Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine. I am one of only a handful of clinicians in the state trained and certified by the Tourette Association of America in Comprehensive Behavioral Intervention for Tics (CBIT) and co-founded the Houston Area Behavioral Institute for Tourette (HABIT Clinic). I am a clinical assistant professor at University of Texas Medical Branch and past president of the Houston Psychological Association. I maintain a professional collaboration with academic medical centers Baylor College of Medicine and UTMB.

I believe mental health treatment should be informed by research and vice versa. As a trained scientist-practitioner, I’m strongly committed to providing patients with the very best treatment available and remain actively involved in research. My work has been featured on major media outlets such as CNN, USA Today, Newsweek, and US News and World Report, and I continue to publish in peer-reviewed journals, present at national conferences, and give talks to various medical, psychological, and community organizations.

I see patients across the developmental lifespan (childhood through adulthood), though am especially interested in working with adolescents and their families, with more than half of my referrals being teenagers. My therapeutic approach is direct and active while also being supportive and warm.  I also provide psychoeducational testing and ADHD evaluation, and maintain an ongoing relationship with many private schools throughout the Houston area such as The Kinkaid School, Episcopal, and St. John’s.