Specialized Areas of Focus for Couples and Families

Throughout my career, I have gained expertise in addressing a wide range of issues that commonly impact couples and families. My areas of focus include:

1. Communication Challenges: I recognize communication’s crucial role in maintaining healthy relationships. I help couples and families develop practical communication skills, fostering an open, empathetic dialogue that promotes understanding and emotional connection.

2. Conflict Resolution: I support couples and families in navigating conflict constructively. By providing a safe and neutral environment, I can facilitate the exploration of underlying issues, encourage empathy, and help develop strategies for peaceful resolution.

3. Intimacy and Sexual Concerns: I understand the complex dynamics surrounding intimacy and sexuality within relationships. This is a non-judgmental and supportive space for couples to explore their concerns, deepen emotional and physical intimacy, and address issues related to desire, satisfaction, and compatibility.

4. Parenting and Blended Families: Recognizing the unique challenges faced by parents and blended families, I offer guidance in navigating co-parenting, step-parenting, and family integration. I am here to help families establish healthy boundaries, manage conflicts, and foster a sense of cohesion and harmony.

5. Life Transitions and Adjustments: I also assist couples and families in navigating significant life transitions, such as marriage, divorce, relocation, or the birth of a child. I provide support and guidance during these pivotal moments, helping individuals and families adapt, grow, and build resilience.

Art and Play Therapy

I wholeheartedly believe in the power of art and play therapy to help children express themselves, heal, and grow. I have witnessed firsthand the transformative impact these therapeutic modalities can have on young minds, and it is truly a privilege to facilitate this process.

Art therapy allows children to communicate and process their thoughts, emotions, and experiences nonverbally. Through various artistic mediums such as drawing, painting, sculpting, and collage, children can freely express themselves and create tangible representations of their inner world. Creating art becomes a language that transcends words, enabling children to explore and make sense of their feelings, memories, and challenges.

During art therapy sessions, I provide a safe and nurturing space where children can freely explore their creativity. I encourage them to express their thoughts and emotions using colors, shapes, and symbols. Through gentle guidance and support, I help them interpret and reflect on their artwork, encouraging self-awareness, self-acceptance, and emotional healing.

Play therapy, on the other hand, allows children to naturally engage in their most natural form of communication: play. Play is a child’s language, and through various play techniques, I create an environment where children can freely express their thoughts, fears, desires, and conflicts. Through imaginative play, storytelling, and role-playing, children can explore different scenarios, problem-solving skills, and develop a sense of agency and control over their experiences.

In play therapy sessions, I provide a wide range of toys, games, and props that encourage creativity and imagination. I observe and interact with the child, joining them in their play and providing gentle guidance when necessary. By building a trusting therapeutic relationship, I create a safe space where children feel comfortable exploring and expressing their innermost thoughts and emotions.

Both art and play therapy allows children to externalize and process their experiences in a developmentally appropriate manner. They enable children to explore complex emotions, resolve conflicts, and develop coping strategies. These therapeutic approaches can help children build self-esteem, enhance problem-solving skills, regulate emotions, and improve communication and social skills.

It is an incredible privilege to witness the transformative power of art and play therapy in the lives of the children I work with, and I am truly honored to be a part of their journey toward healing and growth. I aim to empower children to discover their strengths, develop resilience, and navigate life’s challenges. Through these expressive modalities, children can find their voice, heal from trauma, and create a greater self-understanding and emotional well-being.

ADHD and Executive Functioning

I am highly passionate about helping those with ADHD, and there are many ways that therapy can benefit those with this diagnosis.

I help individuals develop essential skills such as time management, organization, planning, and impulse control through tailored interventions and strategies. Cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) can assist in identifying and challenging negative thought patterns and improving self-regulation. Additionally, I provide a safe space for exploring emotional and social difficulties associated with ADHD, offering coping mechanisms and social skills training. Therapy empowers individuals to understand their strengths, embrace challenges, and implement practical tools to manage ADHD symptoms, fostering self-confidence, improved focus, and overall well-being.

I received my Master’s Degree in Mental Health Counseling from Argosy University Sarasota in May 2007.

I began my career by becoming a Certified Domestic Violence Advocate working with children at a shelter for children and teens. I continued my practicum as a crisis counselor for victims of trauma. My supervisor was one of the first to implement Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) into practice and also trained me in DBT. I later worked as the primary therapist for a residential facility, running daily social skills groups for the three cottages that housed dozens of children and teens.

I have been in private practice since beginning with McNulty Counseling in 2018.

I have used my experiences growing up in a family business and helping my husband’s business to incorporate executive, business, and life coaching into my practice at McNulty Counseling. I have made several appearances on NBC’s Bloom as a Mental Health Expert, and I am a Newsweek Mental Health Contributor with many articles in the U.S. and Europe that have also been translated and published in both Latin America and Asia.

I am the Clinical Supervisor at McNulty Counseling and oversee interns working towards licensure. I utilize the Integrated Developmental Model of Supervision that combines the clinician’s skills and the clinician’s experience to have the intern reach optimum levels of autonomy and competency.