I come to private practice later in life, after having raised two kids with my husband, Andrew. Before becoming a therapist, I was a writer and a teacher of writing. I have a degree in creative writing from the University of Houston, and another in English literature from The Ohio State University. In 2008 I published a novel, Nice to Come Home To. I updated one of my favorite Jane Austen novels, Sense & Sensibility, threw in a deranged cat, and set it in Washington, DC. The best thing I ever heard from a reader came from my beloved cousin Kathy, whose husband Kevin was in hospice dying of cancer when she read my book. She said, “It really helped knowing I would go home at the end of the day and get into the tub with a glass of wine and your book.” That’s when I realized that I wanted to give comfort and solace to people more directly and on a more regular basis than book-writing could possibly accomplish. And so, inspired by other helping professionals in my life, I went about becoming a licensed therapist.

I specialize in many of the same issues I struggle with in my own life — ADHD, emotional regulation, self-compassion, communication, intimacy, chronic pain, creativity, and motherhood, which came late(r) in life for me with those particular joys, sorrows, really horrible (horrible) days, and unexpected gifts.

My two daughters are young adults, we have an abundance of cats in our home, and my husband and I are celebrating 25 long, strange years together. My father-in-law, Gerry Schamess, was an influential social worker. At Smith College he taught clinical social work, edited the Smith College Studies in Social Work, co-chaired the doctoral program and accumulated an impressive list of professional publications. More than anything, he inspired generations of social workers with his authenticity and his kindness. It is to him, along with the rest of my family, that I dedicate the work of my practice.

As a therapist, I don’t often refer to myself, but you can ask me questions and I’ll do my best to answer them. And I still write, because people are just so dang fascinating. I’m hoping to one day write a book about what I’ve learned from those who have honored me with the stories of their lives.