After receiving a Bachelors of Science in Applied Psychology from New York University, I began working at Silver Hill Hospital in New Canaan, CT as a Residential Counselor in the hospital’s Transitional Living Program. Once realizing that I wanted to pursue a career in healthcare, I returned to school to obtain a Masters Degree in Social Work from Fordham University, all the while continuing to work for Silver Hill. Following graduation I moved to New York City and was hired as a medical social worker for New York Presbyterian Weill Cornell Medical Center. Suddenly thrust into a large health institution in a major city, I discovered that I had much to learn about our complex healthcare system, and spent the next five years attempting to navigate a system seemingly designed to work against patients, families and providers. Despite the many challenges, I loved the problem solving nature of my role and the feeling that I was advocating with all my might on behalf of the patients and families I cared for. My efforts earned me an award in Social Work Excellence and I was promoted to Advanced Clinician. My desire to enact more tangible change led me back to Silver Hill Hospital where I helped to develop educational programming for families. I later moved on to a clinical role in the Outpatient Department, and ultimately held the tile of Outpatient Services Manager. 

The opportunity to join the Krasner Adolescent Institute came during a significant change in my life – the birth of my daughter, Billie – and I jumped at the chance to join a team of professionals who expressed the same frustrations I felt, namely, that the system is stacked against patients and families making progress in treatment unnecessarily difficult. The shared goal to provide a comprehensive and nuanced assessment of the client and family in the hopes of providing some real direction was extremely attractive, and my inner advocate is wildly enthusiastic about our efforts to upend institutional healthcare.