About Me

I am a licensed clinical social worker in Maryland who works with young children and families under many kinds of stress, ranging from anxiety to complex trauma, from parenting challenges to family changes, and from developmental differences to loss and grief. Early childhood is the most sensitive period of our lives, and the opportunity to support healthy emotional development and parent-child bonds during this formative phase, with profound potential benefit, is at the heart of my commitment to this work. Before joining Arbit, I was a therapist at the Lourie Center for Children’s Social & Emotional Wellness, in Rockville, MD.

Approach

My therapy style is warm, empathic, and hopeful. My approach is client-centered, and with foundations in attachment theory, psychodynamic frameworks, child development, trauma, and the neuroscience of nervous system regulation, I draw on multiple therapeutic modalities to meet the unique needs of each individual and family I see. My therapy with young children is play-based, because play is the language of these little humans. I also integrate mindfulness, cognitive-behavioral strategies, and other evidence-based approaches. My work with parents and caregivers focuses on providing emotional support and enhancing insight and skills. I have specialized training in Child-Parent Psychotherapy, a modality designed specifically for very young children who have experienced trauma, in which the child and caregiver are in play therapy together.

In my work, I hold in mind the systems of oppression, including racism, poverty, and identity-based hatred, that act on individuals, families, and communities, and affect their experience of the world and their beliefs. I also hold in mind the strengths and resilience of individuals, families, and communities, and the power of healing relationships and hope.

Areas of Expertise

• Child Development

• Early childhood mental health

• Emotion regulation

• Acute and complex/developmental trauma

• Intergenerational trauma

• Neurodivergence

• Parent-child attachment

• Grief and loss

• Parenting challenges

• Family changes

Training

• Registered Circle of Security® Parenting (COSP™) Facilitator

• Nationally Rostered Child-Parent Psychotherapist

Education

• Bachelor of Arts, Cornell University

• Master of Public Health, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

• Master of Social Work, Smith College School for Social Work