I grew up in rural Pennsylvania. I developed an appreciation for city life while living in Philadelphia for my undergraduate and graduate years. When I moved to Boston for internship, I absolutely fell in love with it. I opened my first private practice a couple of years later in a beautiful old building in Cambridge. However, after one particularly cold and snowy winter, I decided that I needed a change. I moved to Santa Barbara sight unseen and opened a private practice blocks from the beach. I learned volumes from this very different culture and the diverse perspectives I encountered. I enjoyed 14 beautiful years there before feeling ready for another change. My family and I moved to Portland in 2018, and again I fell in love. I am bowled over by the beauty of spring, summer, and fall here. I love that there is so much to explore. I continue to learn from different perspectives.
Although my career has been centered on private practice, I have worked in a number of other settings along the way: a research center, university psychological services centers, outpatient hospital clinics, a day treatment program specializing in Dialectical Behavior Therapy, inpatient psychiatric units, and a psychiatric emergency room. In these settings I have worn a variety of hats: therapist, supervisor, director, researcher, teacher, speaker, and board member. I bring the wisdom of everything learned from these experiences to every session I spend with my patients. I also bring myself and my respect for the person sitting across from me.
My prounouns are she/her/hers.
Licenses: OR 2906; CA PSY 20075; WA temporary permit 61059431
Education
Postdoctoral Fellow in Psychology: Eating Disorders Specialty, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. 2000 – 2001
Predoctoral Fellow in Psychology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. 1999 – 2000
Doctor of Philosophy in Clinical Psychology, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. 2000
Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, summa cum laude, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA. 1993
Clinical Positions
Private Practice, Portland, OR. 2018 – present
Private Practice, Santa Barbara, CA. 2005 – 2018
Private Practice, Cambridge, MA. 2001 – 2004
Adult Eating and Weight Disorders Program, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. 2001 – 2004
Two Brattle Center, Cambridge, MA. 2001 – 2003
Post-Doctoral Fellow, Eating Disorders Specialty, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. 2000 – 2001
Pre-Doctoral Fellow, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. 1999 – 2000
Psychological Services Center, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA. 1998 – 1999
Psychological Services Center, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA. 1996 – 1998
Academic Appointments
Lecturer, Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA. 2004 – 2007
Director, Hosford Counseling & Psychological Services Clinic, Department of Counseling, Clinical, and School Psychology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA. 2004 – 2006
Instructor, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA. 2001 – 2004
Fellow, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. 1999 – 2001
Invited Talks
Diagnosis, Assessment, and Treatment of Adults with Eating Disorders, Department of Psychiatry, Oregon Health & Sciences University, Portland, OR. 2020
Intentional Holidays: How to Build Connected Intentions, Eating Disorders Round Table, Portland, OR. 2019
Eating Disorder Recovery, California Unified Collegiate Recovery Conference, University of California, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA. 2015
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy: What it is and how to use it, Santa Barbara County Psychological Association, Santa Barbara, CA. 2015
Understanding Eating Disorders, Academy of Healing Arts, Santa Barbara, CA. 2011
Understanding Eating Disorders, Pacific College of Oriental Medicine, Santa Barbara, CA. 2007
Eating Disorders: Phenomenology, Dynamics, Assessment, and Treatment, Antioch University, Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA. 2007
Eating Disorders in Adolescence, Dunn School and Family School, Los Olivos, CA. 2005
Diagnosis and Phenomenology of Eating Disorders, University of Massachusetts, Boston, MA. 2004
Recognizing an Eating Disorder, TJX Corporation, Framingham, MA. 2003
Eating Disorders: Phenomenology, Assessment, and Treatment, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA. 2002
Identifying Eating Disorders and Providing Treatment, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Boston, MA. 2001