Who am I?
Sex Therapist. Speaker. RLT Therapist. Educator. Mentor. Fellow Human Traveler.
Would you believe I wanted to train the dolphins at The National Aquarium when I started my professional journey?
Sidenote: Did you know female dolphins have a clitoris?
Luckily, a collision of learning about the salary ranges of dolphin trainers, the struggle of a Calculus II class (I think my professor gifted me with a C), and an amazing volunteer experience with the Court Appointed Special Advocates for Baltimore City resulted in rethinking my career path. Ultimately, I graduated with my Master’s in Social Work and spent the early part of my career working with children, their families, and trauma.
When I was working with children and families, I realized the value of the family system and the role that system plays in how we relate to the world. Individuals who didn’t fit the hetero-normative narrative about human sexuality and relationships started coming to see me. I knew how to work with kids and their parents, but I really didn’t know how to be a great relationship therapist.
I saw Terrence (Terry) Real, the founder of Relational Life Therapy (RLT), teach at a conference and had an “aha” moment: we shared the same viewpoints, we both used the same definition of infidelity, we both thought it was okay to drop the occasional f-bomb during a therapy session, and we were both direct, always telling it like it is. In RLT I found a model that resonated with me as a person and with the gifts I bring to the therapy space.
The theoretical framework of RLT is to help clients achieve an authentic connection with themselves and others. I believe that sexual health is part of achieving that connection.
I think it’s impossible to work with couples without dealing with sexual health issues.
That’s part of being in a relationship.
Dealing with elements of sexual health has always been a part of my work—a big part of my work—for nearly two decades. And like many therapists (and even medical providers), I realized at one point that my formal training in sexual health was…pretty limited.
So I went and got it.
I intentionally sought out the University of Michigan’s Sexual Health Certification Program, where I built the foundation I needed to confidently work with the wide range of sexual health concerns individuals and couples bring into the therapy room.
I later became certified through the American Association of Sexuality Educators, Counselors, and Therapists (AASECT) and earned my Ph.D. in Clinical Sexology, deepening both my clinical expertise and my commitment to this work.
My mission is for all people to have intimate relationships that actually work for them—and for therapists and medical providers to feel more confident, competent, and comfortable having these conversations with the people they serve.