Certified in Gestalt, Internal Family Systems, and Intimacy from the Inside Out. Author of When the Therapist Is Ill.
Welcome. I have spent my professional career helping people navigate relationships, heal from trauma, and find their way through life's many transitions. Along the way, I have remained a devoted student in my field, continually learning and deepening my work.
After earning my Master's Degree in Social Work and a Post-Master's Certificate in Advanced Clinical Social Work, I completed a three-year training program and became a certified Gestalt Therapist in 1996. I later became certified in Internal Family Systems (IFS) and Intimacy from the Inside Out (IFIO) for couples. These approaches are woven together in my practice and allow me to meet each person with flexibility, curiosity, and care.
Earlier in my career, I specialized in working with families, particularly parents and their children with special needs, and wrote articles and newsletters for those families. Although I no longer work with children, I continue to help people with intergenerational family concerns. This work holds a special place in my heart.
Today, I work with individuals and couples who want to strengthen their relationships, heal from painful experiences, or adjust to meaningful changes in their lives. I also co-facilitate Embracing Our Elderhood workshops and monthly Continuity Groups for IFS-informed elder therapists.
I have a longstanding interest in supporting people living with illness. Having experienced breast cancer myself, I bring a personal sensitivity to this terrain. No two illnesses, and no two people's experiences, are the same. I approach each person and situation with respect and curiosity for what is unique about their journey.
Working with people through many stages and seasons of life has given me a deep appreciation for both our vulnerability and resilience. Reaching out for help takes both courage and strength. I believe each of us has the capacity to heal, grow, and become more fully ourselves, and that a safe, trusting therapeutic relationship helps make that possible.
I have deep respect for my clients, wherever they are on their life's path.
— RobertaFor therapists experiencing illness, and for well therapists and supervisors who want to be better attuned when working with an ill therapist.
Talks and workshops for clinical institutes, societies, and graduate programs. See the Speaking page.
Focused short-term work with individuals and couples.
Our humanity is not outside the work. It is part of the ground of the work.
A relational guide for therapists facing what training rarely addresses. Drawing on five decades of clinical practice and her own experience living through illness.